suki's diary
as good as a nightmare..
CHAPTER 1
“Suki-chan, I’ll go ahead. See you next week!”“Thank you for today, as always.” Suki bowed, smiling at her ballet instructor.She returned her attention to her now empty locker and zipped her bag closed once she’s sure she hadn’t left any of her personal belongings behind.As soon as she shut the locker closed, all of the lights in the changing room went out - as if the reverberating echo of the locker’s metal cued for the darkness to surround her.She was left all alone now. The rest of her classmates had also gone. Suki blinked a few times, adjusting her vision for the dim.Thinking it was just an electrical malfunction or a human error by the security, Suki calmly headed out of the changing room.She walked across the now empty studio. Every step she took sounded louder than usual, heavier.Then her supposedly lone reflection became double.Are my eyes playing tricks on me?But no, there's clearly two of them now. She's looking at a twin who mimicked the slightest of her movements.And then they became three, four, and then five. They multiplied quickly across the panel of mirrors running across the entire wall of the dance studio.The other Saimori Satsukis began to transform as their pretty faces contorted painfully. Their eyes glowed red with longer incisors jutting out of their curled lips. They snarled darkly at Suki, making her shoulders wince. Every breath they took made them foam at the mouth while the others choked out blood. One by one, all of them raised their arms to reach out for her, seemingly preparing to lunge out of the mirrors to grab her.Petrified, Suki dropped her duffel bag to the floor. She wanted to scream but no sound came out. Her weakened knees only managed to take her a few steps back until grace had left her fallen to the floor.“Your days are counted, Suki-chan.” Her monstrous clones hissed in unison, leaving Suki as pale as a ghost as they vanished into thick mist. Their high-pitched, demented laughter still ringing through her ears, her mind.
Hope and Dreams
CHAPTER 2
Diary entry for June 3, 2025
I’m in Seoul again today.After attending Mel’s baby’s gender reveal party, meeting Nana chan, and more of my dear friends, I had no idea I’ll be receiving more good news today.. about my health, too.I can never get used to receiving good news or developments about my condition. I think it’s because they seldom happen. A part of me has also accepted it - because when they do, it either ends up being a false positive or an anticipation of a possible relapse. After all, I've learned to navigate my weaknesses and lived this way for as long as I can remember.I've gotten to a point where I've contemplated which one leaves me more weary; hoping to hear something new? Or to feeling sorry for myself over and over..But today, I was most surprised. I thought my visit to the SNU Hospital will just be another check up or an extensive visit with a test that must be ran to verify something; usually, my heartbeat rate, stamina, white blood cell count, etcetera.Today, I learned that Doctor Choi and my father have been working hard together for months about a research. A research about developing a new type of blood, an artificial one that can be created in a lab. With the vast amount of knowledge Doctor Choi holds along with the sophisticated technology my family has access to, they combined these resources, and created an artificial blood they mass produced in red, tiny capsules.These blood capsules look like ordinary vitamins. They're anything but that, actually.They explained to me that this experiment was grounded in an old theory, though initially for humans, their study’s modified framework is purposefully designed to cater to vampires - or at least to vampires (and dhampirs) who suffer from extreme deficiencies like mine.From my understanding, they used Kiyeon’s blood composition to start. His was of vampire blood so diluted it does more good than harm to either humans or vampires. My father and Doctor Choi ran different trials until they finally arrived at the most optimal variant that won't be a shock to my fragile system. This version has the combined properties of a pureblood vampire's venom and the cloned equalizers found from Kiyeon’s blood.After enough manipulations and replications, the artificial blood in these capsules soon became a whole new element of its own.Doctor Choi said I’m supposed to take them twice a day and let him know about any significant changes in my days. I have to write a self-report in the next 4 weeks and send them to him. I assume this is also for his and papa's research. I eagerly expressed my cooperation.Call me a fool. But I feel hopeful again. I hope endlessly. I'm not asking to be powerful. I simply don't want to tire so easily. I no longer want to burden and keep worrying the people I love.- 咲月 ☾
Dear in the Headlights
CHAPTER 3
After dropping off Suhyun at her hotel, Suki set out for the road in high spirits. Spending time with her close friends always rejuvenated her. The broad smile Suki wore as she waved good night and goodbye to her older sister did not fall from her lips so easily. She thought they had a great time catching up and talking about the elder’s upcoming exhibition in Osaka. The happiness lingered even in the corner of her eyes.Suki reached for the radio of her car and turned its volume a little louder for a sort of background noise to keep her alert on the road. Suki then drove into a not so empty highway, though there were street lamps, it was still dim that if one of these lamps were to lose their light, one can be easily swallowed by the pitch darkness.Only a handful of cars passed her by at this hour. It’s quite late after all. She expected to be alone for the most part of the ride.Suddenly, it also started to rain. The puttering of raindrops joined the now stuttering audio of the radio hosts. Without her touching any of the controls, the station changed to an unfamiliar one. Despite the broken static, she can still make out the melody of a song that belonged in the height of the 1920s. The rain and the music created a new atmosphere. It felt as if she’s entered a different time, into another space."Must be a glitch in the signal..."She didn’t think any more of what’s happening in the moment. She only felt determined to get through the heavier rain - and that was until the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up.She felt a cold touch on her shoulder. A weight of an icy hand whose fingers gently clasped over her clothes. Suki’s breath hitched in her throat. Her eyes widened at the tangible sensation of another’s company when she’s supposed to be all by herself in a traveling vehicle.She wasn’t alone anymore. It made itself even more real with a whisper. The voice was feminine, silvery, but echoing with a haunting authority. Her company was a woman who whispered to her ear in ancient tongue, “My child, it’s time. You are ready.”"She knows me."Suki’s knuckles turned white as her hands tightened around the wheel. A shiver ran down her spine at the idea that this almost feels like a reunion. The questions that raced in circles through her mind made her think about turning, or checking the rear view mirror for a look but she’s too frightened to do so.She felt frozen and numbed by fear, that she could barely feel her foot on the gas. At this point, the only thing louder than the downpour was her heartbeat. It pounded in panic. All the more, when a white, silhouette glowed in the middle of the highway, appearing out of nowhere.Suki's tires screeched when she jerked, turning the wheel to avoid hitting this woman with her car. But before she realized it, a truck with a drowsy driver was already speeding up from her left and hits her from the side, making her vehicle spin until she crashed against a barricade.Before Suki lost consciousness, the last thing she saw wasn’t any part of her broken car’s interiors nor was it the trees and smoke that supposedly hovered and clouded around her.She only saw a woman wearing an old-fashioned hikizuri kimono. She was glowing as she walked away. Her pair of red eyes met Suki's when she gave her one last look over her shoulder.