Vampire Brothers

Chapter 7

It was a beautiful morning. After putting on her school uniform, Haneul stepped out of her room and headed towards the backyard. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, so the morning air was still crisp and cool. She did some light stretching as she gazed at the sky, watching birds fluttering about, starting their day.

She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the tranquility, then opened them again and continued her stroll around the backyard.

Unbeknownst to her, a dark figure in the mansion was watching her intently.

The shadowy figure clenched his fist tightly. "I must love her," he murmured to himself. His gaze remained fixed on Haneul as she made her way back inside. In the dim light of the room, the man's eyes glowed bright red. "I need blood. Her blood."

Haneul entered the kitchen, where everyone was busy preparing breakfast. She approached a particular person. "Mingyu oppa," she called out. Mingyu turned to her, "What can I do for you, princess?" he asked with a smile. "Is there anything I can help with for breakfast?" she offered. Mingyu shook his head, "I’ve got the cooking covered. Maybe you could help Woozi set the table. He might need a hand reaching the dishes on the top shelf." Mingyu suggested.

She chuckled softly. "Don't let him hear you."

"I heard that, you two!" Woozi shot a glare at Haneul and Mingyu. Mingyu laughed awkwardly. "Go help him out. Like I said, he might need some assistance." He smiled warmly. Haneul nodded and hurried over to Woozi.

"Oppa," Haneul said in a playful, aegyo tone. "What do you want? Go bother that pillar over there," Woozi replied, nodding toward Mingyu. Haneul reached up to grab the plates from the upper cabinet, "Don’t be like that, oppa. Even though you’re short, you're a genius. Speaking of which..." Haneul turned to Woozi. "Are you working on something new right now?" she asked curiously.

Woozi looked at her, "Why do you ask?" "I keep seeing light coming from your room late at night," Haneul explained. "Oh, yeah. I’m working on something," Woozi nodded, carefully folding napkins.

Haneul's face lit up. "Can I listen to it when it’s finished? You know how much I love your music."

Woozi smiled, "I know. You’re the only one in this mansion who truly appreciates my music."

"You know that's not true, hyung," a voice interjected.

Haneul turned to see Vernon entering the kitchen. "Vernon oppa," she greeted him with a smile. Vernon grabbed some of the potato salad that Mingyu had made.

"I do appreciate your music, hyung. Remember the beat you gave me the other day? I’ve already written a rap for it. I hope you’ll give it a listen later," Vernon said. "Sure," Woozi replied with a nod.

"Vernon oppa, when is Aunt Sofea going to visit?" Haneul asked. "She won’t be coming anytime soon, princess. Her husband is out of town, so she has to stay home with the kids," Vernon explained.

"Oppa, your sister is already married with kids. So, when are you going to settle down?" she teased with a mischievous smile. Vernon cleared his throat, "Later, princess, later. I'll do it after you get married." Vernon smirked at her.

"M-me? Get m-married? You’ll have to wait a long time, oppa. You know I don’t like anyone else but Mingyu oppa," Haneul replied, blushing.

Everyone in the house knew how much Haneul adored Mingyu. She had been attached to him ever since she was first brought into the house.

"Haneul, you can't marry Mingyu. You can't marry any of us. We’re your brothers, after all," Woozi interjected.

But that was a lie. The truth was, she couldn't marry any of them because humans were forbidden from marrying vampires. If the higher vampires from the other world found out, they would hunt the couple down and end their lives.

Haneul smiled, "I know that," she replied to Woozi.

A few minutes later, everyone was seated at the dining table for breakfast. Minghao glanced at an empty seat. "I wonder when we’ll all be together for a meal again," he mused.

The room fell into silence. Haneul glanced at S.Coups's chair. Mingyu cleared his throat. "Let him do as he pleases. We all know no one can stop him once he’s made up his mind," Mingyu said, placing two pieces of toast on Haneul’s plate.

"It’s good that you understand that, Kim Mingyu," another voice said from the kitchen entrance. All 13 heads turned towards the direction.

"S.Coups," Joshua acknowledged him.

S.Coups walked over and sat down in his chair. "Don’t worry, I have no intention of starting a fight or anything. I just came down for food," S.Coups said coldly. He glanced at Haneul, who was frozen in place. "Eat up, or you’ll be late for school."

"O-oh, okay!" Haneul stammered. Joshua, who was sitting next to her, gently stroked her hair. "Eat up, okay? I'll walk you to the front," he said with a gentle smile. She nodded silently.

"Do you have everything you need for today’s classes?" Joshua asked as they stood by the door. Haneul nodded eagerly, "I double-checked everything last night," she replied. Joshua smiled and playfully ruffled her hair. "I hope all the good things happen to you today," he said warmly. "Thank you, Shua oppa," Haneul smiled back. "Now go, or you’ll be late," he urged gently. She smiled and waved goodbye before heading off.

Joshua closed the door behind her and sighed, "Why are you here?" he asked, turning to S.Coups, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "What do you mean, Joshua?" S.Coups replied coolly. "This is my mansion. I can be wherever I want."

Joshua sighed again, "Why are you suddenly interested in her?" He turned to face S.Coups. "You’ve never joined us for breakfast before, you never talked to her, and don’t lie to me, S.Coups. You've been keeping an eye on her too."

S.Coups pushed himself off the wall, "She’s human and we are vampires, Shua. Or have you forgotten?" He stepped closer to Joshua. "I’m just making sure that human doesn’t cause trouble in my mansion," S.Coups said, narrowing his eyes before walking away.

Joshua watched as S.Coups disappeared into his room on the second floor.

At school, Haneul was chatting with Yeonhwa and her other friends when Moonkyu approached. "What do you want, Moonkyu?" Yeonhwa asked, looking at him with irritation. "Nothing much," Moonkyu replied, glancing at Haneul. "Yah!" he called out to her. She put down her sandwich, "What?" she responded, clearly uninterested. "You’re a vampire, aren’t you?" he asked.

Haneul frowned deeply, "Where did that nonsense come from? I'm human, you idiot," she retorted. Moonkyu snickered, "Do you really think I’d believe that? You’re living with a bunch of vampires. Of course, you’re a vampire too, right?"

"Aren’t you tired of this already, Moonkyu?" Yeonhwa said, annoyed. "What? I’m not making this up. Everyone in the village knows the men living in that mansion are vampires," Moonkyu continued.

Haneul suddenly stood up, "Enough," she said firmly, trying to stop Moonkyu from saying more. "Why don’t you ask them? Or do you want me to? Maybe we should get the villagers to ask them directly if they’re human or not?" Moonkyu smirked.

Haneul clenched her fists tightly. "I SAID ENOUGH!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her eyes turned red, and her fangs began to protrude slightly.

"What the fu—This girl’s a freak! She’s a vampire! She’s a freakin’ vampire!" Moonkyu exclaimed, stepping back in shock.

Haneul suddenly snapped back to her senses, "W-Wh...What’s happ—" she started, but before she could finish, she collapsed.