Whalien 52 || Vkook Mermaid au

Ch/: 2

Taehyung silently tried to follow Jimin through the castle, occasionally stopping to look at the things around him. Jimin only groaned out of annoyance when he did this, before yanking him to swim.

The closer they swam to the main part of the castle, the more nicer it was. Instead of a plain, dusty gray color, the walls were now creamy white accompanied by a tan beige. The walls were adorned with many paintings, many of which were those of royal line. The portraits were drawn with such precision, a regular mermaid could mistake it as a living being. There were decorations littered in the halls, statues to represent the past, along with large pillars and many plants.

Taehyung's eyes glittered with curiosity and awe, wanting to inspect all the things that looked new to Taehyung. Although he didn't understand what these things that resided in the hallway were, he still tried to figure out what it was from his readings. He didn't mind the roughness of the clothes he was given earlier, only sparking his interest in the portraits and windows that looked out to the kingdom.

Jimin sighed again, seeing Taehyung stop once more to look out one of the windows of the many within the castle. He yanked his arm again, giving him a glare before leading him further into the building.

Taehyung crashed into Jimin, who abruptly stopped in front of two massive doors. Jimin only tightened his grip onto Taehyung, making him wince. The doors opened, and the two entered the dining hall.

There was a large table, filled with assorted food and beverages, almost all the seats were taken up, despite there being many. The King sat at the end, while all his sons and daughters sat on the side. The chatter between them stopped as they looked at Jimin and Taehyung.

"Jimin-hyung, why did you play dress-up with that maid? Why did you bring a servant to eat with us?" One of the King's son, Jimin's younger brother asked.

"Jimin—oppa, you never play dress-up with me!" Another sibling complained. More siblings complained about Jimin not having enough time lately to play with them.

"Shut up, children. Meet your newest...hyung." The King's tone of voice turned into disgust as he ended his sentence.

"Hyung?! That thing does not look like us!" And more of the siblings insulted Taehyung's appearance.

Taehyung only looked down, and Jimin dragged him over to a chair, forcing Taehyung to sit down. Taehyung looked up a little to see 7 pairs of eyes look at him with mixed emotions, some containing disgust, curiosity, or confusion. He quickly looked down at the gold and white ceramic that was placed in front of him, along with a set of utensils that shone. He was confused at the objects, and decided not to do anything to it.

"Here, eat this." The sibling beside him served a spoon of salad, smiling at Taehyung.

Taehyung was confused by her smile, he had seen Min-Jun look with that expression but never questioned him about it. He looked down again, staring at the leafy seaweed mixed with other greens. He didn't;t know what to do with it, and only looked at it.

"Hyung what are you doing? The food isn't going to eat you. Eat it." Jimin hissed across the table, before taking a bite of his own salad.

Taehyung looked around, seeing his 'siblings' eat the food that was on their plates. He decided to do the same too, grabbing a handful of salad and putting it in his mouth. He repeated his actions, stuffing his face with it. He looked around for more, only to be met by his siblings' gazes of disgust.

"Who taught you how to eat like that?" The King's voice boomed, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"I- um..." Taehyung slumped into his seat, trying to hide himself. He felt the hunger pain his stomach once more, groaning slightly. He didn't bother to reach for more salad, as he didn't want the King to get mad at him again.