Vampire Brothers

Chapter 6

Haneul stared off into space. "Yah, Haneul-ah?" Yeonhwa called out to her. "Huh? What? Why?" Haneul snapped back to reality, looking at Yeonhwa. "What's wrong with you? You've been spacing out a lot these past few days," Yeonhwa noted.

It had been a few days since the incident in the kitchen, and Haneul couldn’t stop thinking about why S.Coups suddenly talked to her. As far as she could remember, the last time S.Coups spoke to her was years ago.

"Are you still thinking about that night? The one you told me about?" Yeonhwa asked. Haneul nodded. "Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he just wants to mend the relationship between the two of you. I mean, you’re a grown teenager now. How long does he plan to stay cold towards you?" Yeonhwa reassured her.

Yeonhwa knew that Haneul had been living with her thirteen brothers since she was born. According to Haneul, they had adopted her because she was found alone without parents. But Haneul herself didn’t know much about her brothers. She had once tried asking Wonwoo about his family, but he seemed to avoid the topic, as did the others. So, she stopped asking.

"But it’s so sudden. I thought I did something wrong," Haneul said worriedly.

Just then, someone approached their table and joined them for lunch. "What’s up, ladies?" the newcomer smiled at them.

"What do you want, Moonkyu?" Yeonhwa asked.

"Nothing much. I just want to have a word with Haneul," Moonkyu replied, turning his gaze to Haneul.

Haneul looked up at him, blinking in confusion. "Me?" she asked.

"Yup!" Moonkyu confirmed, locking eyes with her.

They stared at each other as if having a silent contest, with Moonkyu narrowing his eyes.

"Y-Yah...why are you looking at me like that?" Haneul asked, feeling uneasy.

"You live with someone named Kim Mingyu, right? There’s a Kim Mingyu at the mansion where you live," Moonkyu said.

Haneul slowly nodded. "Yeah, there is. Why do you ask?"

Moonkyu rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I don’t know if I should tell you this, but... that Kim Mingyu... he’s a vampire," he said calmly.

Haneul stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the table. The whole cafeteria went silent as all eyes turned to her.

"Yah, Haneul-ah..." Yeonhwa tried to calm her, but Haneul didn’t hear. Her mind was fixated on what Moonkyu had just said.

Haneul gritted her teeth. "I dare you to say that again, Moonkyu."

"H-Hey, I’m just telling you the truth. He’s been living there for years with the others. Surely you’ve noticed they don’t age. That’s because they’re not normal!" Moonkyu explained.

"Kim Moonkyu, that’s enough!" Yeonhwa glared at him.

"But I’m telling you the truth. They can’t go out in the sun. Why? Because they’re not human, Haneul!" Moonkyu insisted.

"Stop it," Haneul said, holding back her anger.

Moonkyu opened his mouth to continue. "I don’t understand you! You have no memories of your parents! They took you in and you believe them? Open your eyes, Haneul! They’re not human!"

"Stop it!!" Haneul shouted. "One more word about this, and we’re not friends anymore," she warned, glaring at him before storming out of the cafeteria.

Later that day, Haneul sat silently watching TV when someone joined her on the couch. She turned to her right. "Mingyu oppa..."

Mingyu smiled at her. "How was your day, princess?"

Haneul’s face flushed slightly. She knew she shouldn’t feel this way towards Mingyu or the others since they raised her like their own sister, but she couldn’t help herself. She loved Mingyu and desperately hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Hey?" Mingyu snapped his fingers, bringing her back to reality.

"Sorry. What were you saying?" Haneul asked, embarrassed.

Mingyu chuckled, his husky laugh sending shivers down her spine. She loved the way he laughed.

"You’re cute," Mingyu said, ruffling her hair. Her face turned bright red. "You’re blushing?" he asked, amused.

"No, I’m not!" Haneul protested, pouting. "Why would I blush because of you?" She couldn’t take it anymore. One more smile from him, and her heart might just explode.

"Stop being lovey-dovey here," a familiar cold voice interrupted. They both turned to see S.Coups standing nearby. "Hyung!" Mingyu narrowed his eyes at him. Just the sight of S.Coups made Haneul freeze.

S.Coups directed his gaze at Haneul. "You."

"Y-Yes?" Haneul stuttered.

"Don’t you have homework to do? Focus on your studies instead of wasting time in front of the TV," S.Coups said coldly.

"Right, okay!" Haneul quickly stood up, ready to leave, when Mingyu suddenly grabbed her wrist. "She can do what she wants. You can’t force her," Mingyu said, glaring at S.Coups.

Haneul was surprised by Mingyu’s words. She glanced at S.Coups and could see that he was angry. "N-Never mind, oppa. I have work to do," Haneul said hurriedly.

"You heard her. Let her do her work," S.Coups said to Mingyu, smirking before turning to leave.

Mingyu looked back at Haneul. "Are you sure?" he asked gently, and she nodded eagerly. "Okay. Go on. Don’t stay up too late, princess." Mingyu smiled at her. She nodded and quickly pulled her hand away from his, rushing upstairs.

Once she was gone, Mingyu turned back to S.Coups. "What’s wrong with you, Coups hyung? You never cared about her before."

S.Coups scoffed. "And I don’t care now. I just want her to be smart enough to realize she’s nothing in this house. She’s beneath us," he said with a smirk before walking away, leaving Mingyu alone to ponder his words.

Mingyu clenched his fist. *Doesn't matter if you're the eldest but if you make her cry again and I won't hesitate to kill you, S.Coups hyung.*