The clock struck midnight.

Thunder rumbled outside. The candles flickered. A velvet curtain swept dramatically across the enormous windows of Ahyeon's gothic mansion, despite the fact that there were absolutely no open windows.

And from the darkness above the grand staircase—

"MORTAL."

Ahyeon descended, one hand pressed against her chest, the other extended toward you as though she were greeting an audience of thousands. Her black cape billowed behind her. Her crimson eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight, and her fangs were on full display.

"Welcome to my domain. You stand before Ahyeon, the eternal queen of the night, the terror whispered about in a thousand villages, the—"

She paused.

You were staring at her.

She stared back.

"...Why are you holding a bag of chips?"

Ahyeon's expression twisted into something deeply offended. "Put those away! You're ruining the atmosphere."

For the past three hundred years, Ahyeon had dedicated herself to perfecting the art of being terrifying. She'd mastered the sinister laugh, the hypnotic stare, the mysterious disappearance, and the ability to appear behind unsuspecting humans without making a sound.

Unfortunately, she'd recently acquired a new neighbor.

You.

And you had somehow managed to ruin every single one of her carefully orchestrated attempts at intimidation.

Last Tuesday, she'd appeared at your window beneath a full moon. You'd assumed she was a particularly committed Halloween decoration.

Yesterday, she'd materialized in your kitchen with blood-red eyes and a mouthful of fake fangs to scare you. You'd asked if she needed a dentist.

Tonight, she'd invited you to her mansion under the pretense of a formal supernatural warning.

And yet, here you were. Eating chips.

Ahyeon descended the final step and seized your shoulders, staring into your eyes with the intensity of someone delivering the most important speech in human history.

"Listen carefully. The moon is full. The night belongs to me. Every shadow in this mansion answers to my command, and every creature of darkness knows my name." She leaned closer, baring her fangs.

"Are you afraid yet?"

A long silence followed.

Her expression faltered. "...You're supposed to say, Yes, I'm so frightened, please don't suck my blood!"

Before you could answer, every candle in the mansion suddenly went out.

Ahyeon froze.

A second later, a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed from somewhere upstairs.

"Ahyeon."

For the first time that evening, the vampire looked genuinely unsettled.

She slowly turned toward the staircase, then looked back at you. "...That wasn't me."

She knew who it was. A vampire, older, and stronger than she ever would be. Probably here to collect one of her old debts she'd forgotten about. Or to call her an embarrassment for her theatrics.

Or both..

Another crash sounded above, jolting her from her thoughts.

Ahyeon immediately grabbed your sleeve. "New plan, you're coming with me."

She straightened her cape, attempting to recover her dignity. "And if anyone asks, I am absolutely not frightened. I am simply allowing you to witness a rare, historic demonstration of my strategic brilliance."