a/n: HELLLLLLOOOOO :) it's that time of year, yup, my birthday, so here's my gift! i read all the comments and here and there will be revealed some of the major questions you guys have; as a reminder i wrote this back in 2020, so there are details i dont care to update so if you notice? like...just suspend your disbelief this was my very first wenrene fanfic i wrote but i hadn't published until now.

also my universe my rules; vampire lore really does vary from country to country so like...i didnt draw entirely from korean culture back then bc i didnt really know much about korean culture so i tried to definitely change some quirks and stuff to fit the fact that HELLO? SHE WAS IN KOREA DURING JOSEON?? - also bc i can i added some really questionable science in, after all we are modern girlies so i hope you enjoy that bit of worldbuilding

i know everyone asks about other characters, but like this chapter is very wenrene heavy and just a bunch of conversation/worldbuilding/lore explanation but i hope you enjoy it anyway!

now i shall sleep and enjoy my day when i wake up whoohoo!

Her heart is pounding. Her blood vessels are constricting. Her palms are sweaty. Her muscles are thrumming. 

Wendy feels her heart tug in two different directions because her fight or flight instincts have kicked in. She is startled and scared because what she sees is Joohyun drenched in blood staring at her with piercing black eyes and pearly white fangs. But she’s intrigued and confused because who she knows is Joohyun, who has big doe-like eyes and a soft smile that’s reserved for special people. 

Wendy sees Joohyun before her but a feral, hungry–is she bloodthirsty? Her insides shake in fear. 

“Seungwan...” Joohyun softly calls after what feels like forever. Despite her current appearance, her voice is tender as ever to Wendy. It’s soothing and disconcerting. 

Wendy unconsciously clenches her hands. The sound of the can crunching in her hand is a reminder of how they’re in their current situation. She holds the can up. “This is blood,” she slowly says out loud. “You’ve been drinking blood.” 

“Yes…” Joohyun keeps steady. She stares at Wendy carefully, raising her hands like she’s surrendering. 

Wendy feels like her head is starting to hurt as she tries to formulate a proper thought without her emotions overrunning her. She wants to scream and run and hide under her blankets because what the hell is going on? But this is Joohyun. The woman she’s been living with for the last six months and has now started dating. 

“You’re...what exactly?” Wendy asks as she starts sifting through every memory she’s shared with Joohyun since meeting her, trying to find any clue to indicate that Joohyun was not normal. She tries to go against her fight or flight instincts as she delves into her memory. The hissing at the sunlight. The late nights. The dimness of the condo. 

The distinct prick at Wendy’s neck. Not from a dull bite, but a sharp pinch. 

Her head thrown back in pleasure as falls open.

They were shiny white fangs.

Joohyun furrows her brows at Wendy, again her lips as the blood slides down her face. “You don’t know what I am? No guesses? Anything?” 

“Well I don’t want to say you’re a vampire because they aren’t real!” Wendy throws back, letting out a bit of the building internal distress.

“We are real though,” Joohyun gestures between them before gesturing to herself.

“But you regularly eat food.” 

“Because I like the taste of most foods.” 

“And you can go outside in the daytime.” 

“It’s painfully exhausting but necessary for me to work.” 

“And you have a real life with businesses and money and homes and siblings?” Wendy really feels her head start to hurt. 

“Yes to all of that. Except for the sibling bit.” Joohyun scrunches her nose and wiggles her hand. “My family is a bit complicated.” 

Wendy’s eyes widen and she can’t believe her ears. She’s always thought Joohyun was just a normal girl with funny quirks, but now she’s a vampire? With a complicated family? “What do you mean complicated?” Wendy quickly questions.

“I mean that we aren’t actually related and that our relationship is a bit unconventional from time to time,” Joohyun tries to explain. 

It doesn’t make it any clearer, leaving Wendy feeling more confused. “What does that even mean?” she practically pleads. She wants to sleep or wake up if this is a dream. 

“Do you really want to know?” Joohyun asks, looking at Wendy with curious eyes. 

“Yes, Joohyun, of course I want to know,” Wendy retorts, trying to sort out her emotions. At least she doesn’t feel like running the more Joohyun talks to her. “When my girlfriend says she’s a vampire, I think I deserve a deep and lengthy explanation.” 

Joohyun reels back in surprise at Wendy’s retort and a small impressed smile forms across her face. Even if her fangs peek out over her bottom lip, Joohyun still looks like normal Joohyun, her sunbae, roommate, girlfriend, who looks more like the girl next door in her comfy clothes, not scary vampire Joohyun. She looks dangerous and cute at the same time. “Okay, just let me wash this off my face first?” She refers to the blood drying on her face. 

Wendy nods. “Please do,” she agrees with enthusiasm.  

Joohyun smiles at her reaction and turns on the faucet. 

“By the way, I’m sorry about that,” Wendy quickly interjects as she steps towards Joohyun. Joohyun makes an eung sound as she washes the blood off her face. “For the whole spitting blood all over your face.” Then she realizes she’s still holding the can. “And this is yours…” She puts it on the counter beside Joohyun carefully. “Sorry for drinking it.” 

Joohyun looks up at Wendy beside her, pushing the can towards her as if it’s a peace offering. She suppresses a laugh as she turns off the faucet and grabs a paper towel to dab her face dry. “Are you scared of me?” she asks, more jokingly than anything. 

Wendy takes a deep breath to calm her racing heart. “A little bit,” she honestly answers. She puts a hand over her heart to soothe herself some more. “I’m shocked and confused and my head is starting to hurt. We’ve been living together for months. How did I not notice that you were a vampire?” 

Joohyun smirks as she tosses the used paper towel aside. “To be honest, you’re taking it better than I thought you would.” 

Wendy furrows her brows. “How else am I supposed to take it?” 

Joohyun shrugs. “Most people run away or scream or beg for their lives. No one demands an explanation for me being a vampire.” She picks up the can to drink it. 

“Well, I know you as Joohyun! You eat an unhealthy amount of tteokbokki and find it fun to do laundry and iron clothes. And you’re a PhD student for crying out loud!” Wendy whimpers and rubs her temples in frustration. “I’m just trying to figure out how I never noticed.” 

Joohyun sighs at Wendy and puts the can down. She steps towards the confused woman and gently grasps her hands. Wendy looks at Joohyun quickly, upset written across her face. “You did figure it out,” Joohyun reassures with a sheepish look, “kind of. But you had really rational explanations for everything that I didn’t correct you.” 

Wendy frowns at the older woman and lets out a huff. “I feel like an idiot.” 

Joohyun melts at Wendy’s expression. She feels bad for being amused but Wendy looks adorably sad. She squeezes her hands and brings them to her chest. “Don’t say that. You’re not an idiot. You’re right, technically vampires aren’t real to modern human convention, but that’s because we’ve learned to adapt and survive with substantial subterfuge.” 

Wendy lets out a long and woeful sigh. “Joohyun-aaaaaaah,” she whines, “I find it really attractive when you sound smart, but now isn’t the time.” 

“What?” Joohyun is bewildered by Wendy’s reaction and laughs. “I just said two things and you’re acting like this?” 

“No one uses high vocabulary like that in our generation--I guess, my generation? Either way, no one speaks as thoughtfully eloquent as you. It is rare and attractive to me,” Wendy pouts. 

“Aigoo…Seungwannie, you are really something,” Joohyun complains with affection, her eyes back to normal, the brown of her irises warm and welcoming. She brings Wendy’s hands up to her lips to kiss.

Wendy stares but she doesn’t shirk away from Joohyun’s lips. Joohyun’s fangs are gone now and her cool skin is still soft and comforting as Wendy has come to know. She has no reason to run or be afraid. 

But she does need to know.

“So who are you really?” 

For a little while, the only sounds in the apartment are of their quiet chewing and slurping as they eat dinner. Joohyun had said they should eat since the soondubu tastes better when it’s fresh. For someone whose identity was revealed Joohyun was very relaxed about the whole ordeal. 

Wendy didn’t know if that meant Joohyun had planned to tell her at some point or if Joohyun was going to kill her. Then again, Joohyun could’ve easily killed her the moment she spat blood all over her face but she didn’t so that’s always a good sign. 

Her heart tightens in her chest as she stares at Joohyun. Joohyun looks like any other girl next door, eating and enjoying her food, wearing her glasses and comfortable oversize sweatshirt, hair down and bare face. Wendy really only sees Joohyun. Not some vampire. 

“Do you not like it?” Joohyun asks when she notices Wendy staring.

Wendy shakes her head and eats the soondubu. After all, Joohyun had made her own that was significantly less spicy. “It’s delicious,” Wendy says shyly as she tastes it. “It’s always delicious.” 

Joohyun smiles and continues eating. 

Wendy chews thoughtfully, listening to their utensils and chewing. She has a myriad of questions she wants to ask, but she doesn’t even know where to start. 

Joohyun surprisingly breaks the silence. “It feels awkward doesn’t it?” she tries, glancing up at Wendy. 

Wendy blushes because it’s probably her fault they’re a bit awkward. It’s not like Joohyun didn’t say she wouldn’t answer her questions. She had just preferred they do it while dinner was still hot. “Sorry,” she murmurs, filling with food. 

“It’s okay,” Joohyun reassures. “I’m sure you have a million questions. So just, start where you want to start.” 

Wendy nods. “Are you going to be honest with me?” she asks first and foremost. The question surprises Joohyun that she actually stops eating to look at Wendy. Apparently it’s the right thing to ask. 

“How honest do you want me to be?” 

“Were you planning on lying to me?” Wendy feels her heart drop at Joohyun’s response. Months of hiding this from her, Wendy should’ve guessed Joohyun could and would be dishonest.

Joohyun shakes her head. “It’s not like that,” she quickly denies. “I have a lot of history and not all of it is good. Most of it is not good.” She looks down at her bowl of rice, scooping up a spoonful to distract herself. 

Wendy feels her heart tug at the guilt on Joohyun’s face. “Be honest with me and let me judge that for myself.” 

Joohyun eats the rice she scooped up and nods. Her eyes still downcast as she nods. “Then you can ask me what you want to know.”

The middle ground is perfect for Wendy. 

“What’s your name?” Wendy starts off. “Is it really Bae Joohyun?”

Joohyun nods. “I’ve been called plenty of other names but I generally come back to Bae Joohyun when it’s a good time to do so, probably every other generation.” 

“How old are you?”

“329.” 

Wendy almost chokes because Joohyun is over 300 years older than her. 

“What?” Joohyun smirks at Wendy’s reaction. “Too much of an age difference for our relationship?” 

Wendy blushes. “Well, there’s a big difference between three years versus 300 years.” Joohyun chuckles as she drinks her drink. “Are you really from Korea?” 

“Yes. It’d be modern day Daegu.” 

“Do you have any living blood relatives?” Wendy chooses that question carefully, remembering Joohyun’s complicated family relationship.

“No.” Joohyun puts her drink down. “They’re all gone.” 

“What happened?” 

Joohyun’s jaw tightens before she answers. “My father was a gambler that couldn’t pay his debt with the money that he made, so he sold everything we had, including me and my sister.” Wendy gasps quietly. “The collectors killed our parents as soon as me and my sister were in their possession. We were kept as slaves for years until we tried to escape.” Joohyun clutches the can in her hand. “I made it and she didn’t.” 

“I’m sorry,” Wendy offers quietly. 

Joohyun shoots her a wry smile. “Why are you sorry? It was three centuries ago.” 

“Because it’s never easy to lose your family.” Wendy reaches out for Joohyun’s hand. Joohyun doesn’t say anything but holds on to Wendy’s hand. “How did you become a vampire?”

“There was a strange woman that had been living on the outskirts of the province. She had kept to herself for ages. No one knew who she was or where she stayed. She only came to town when she needed supplies. One day, my sister had dropped our owner’s food and he tried to hit her, but the woman had stepped in. She had such a severe look on her face, full of fury and anger. She’d snatched his fist right out of the air and threw him onto the table. She disappeared as soon as she did that. 

“I thought we’d never see her again, but later that night the property we were staying at was set on fire. Everything was in disarray but all I remembered was her appearing in the doorway telling everyone to run.

“I was very weak back then. I almost didn’t make it out if it weren’t for my sister. I got as far as the forests before I collapsed in a stream. The only reason I woke up was because the woman had turned me to save me from the brink of death.” 

“Is she still alive?” Wendy asks carefully. 

Joohyun nods. “She’s who I call my older sister now.” 

“Ooooh.” Something starts clicking in Wendy’s brain at the mention. “So are Sooyoung and Yeri--?”

“Mine,” Joohyun answers simply. “I sired them.” 

Wendy’s jaw drops before she covers . “That’s why Sooyoung keeps calling you Omma.” Everything starts to click about Sooyoung now. “Oh my god, now that I think about it it’s kind of hilarious.” She can’t help but giggle. “You’re really her Omma.” 

Joohyun clicks her tongue at Wendy. “Yah! Don’t encourage her. She likes to say it now just to make me feel old.” 

“You are 329 years old,” Wendy can’t help but point out at the realization. Joohyun has a whole history that Wendy doesn’t even scratch the surface of after knowing her for half a year. “Wow. You were born in 1691. That is so crazy.” She lets go of Joohyun’s hand to massage her temples. “You’ve lived for centuries; you experienced history. And I’m dating you.”

Joohyun suddenly smiles, toothy and cheerful. With a hint of pride. 

“What? Why are you staring at me like that?” 

“Because you said you’re dati