Vampire Brothers

Chapter 18

S.Coups ruffled his hair in frustration. *I just can't figure this out*, he thought. Just then, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he called.

Haneul walked into the room.

"Close the door and come here," S.Coups instructed. Haneul did as she was told, her eyes wandering over the numerous bookshelves.

"So, you really have no plans today?" he asked her. She shook her head. "What about going out with your friend?" he continued. Haneul immediately thought of Yeonhwa, her only friend.

"What's important now is that you're a freak, and I want you to stay away from me!"

She remembered Yeonhwa's harsh words and clenched her fists.

"Hey, are you okay?" S.Coups asked, noticing her expression. Haneul looked at him and forced a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah, I'm good. Anyway, I don't have friends, and I don't go to that school anymore, so please don't bother asking me about it," she said clearly.

"Okay," S.Coups replied, eyeing her curiously. "Sit," he said, nodding toward the empty seat in front of his desk. Without hesitation, Haneul sat down. S.Coups then returned to his reading, leaving Haneul with nothing to do.

Haneul glanced around the room, then back at S.Coups. "Uhm..."

"What?" S.Coups asked coldly, glaring at her.

"Nothing," she replied, shaking her head.

"I have work to do, so don't disturb me," S.Coups said before resuming his reading.

*Why did you call me here then? *she wondered.

"You can read whatever book you want," S.Coups suddenly said. "Sorry?" Haneul looked at him, puzzled. "I won't say it again. Go pick a book and read it like a good kid," he said coldly.

Haneul quickly got up from the chair and walked to the nearest bookshelf, searching for a title that interested her. *Wow, there are so many books about vampires here.*

S.Coups watched her intently as she searched for a book. *It won't be long before I get to hold you in my arms, my love,* he thought.

Haneul frowned deeply. *It's so unorganized in here*, she thought. She was holding the second volume of a book in her hand when she noticed the third volume on the upper shelf. 

*Damn it! I want to organize these so badly, but I know S.Coups oppa wouldn't like that.*

"That reminds me," she whispered. *Why is he awake now? Isn't he supposed to be sleeping like the others?* she wondered as she tiptoed to reach the book on the upper shelf.

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over her. Before she could turn around, she felt someone's body trapping her in place.

"You can't reach that. Ask for help," S.Coups said, easily grabbing the book. He handed it to her.
"T-thank you," she stammered. Without responding, S.Coups silently returned to his desk.

Haneul clutched the book to her chest, feeling her heart race. *What the heck? *she thought.
"He smells so good..." she whispered to herself.

As she sat on the couch, silently reading the book, she remembered something Dino had told her about S.Coups and Mingyu being out in the sun.

They're both special. They should tell you about it themselves.

Haneul closed her book and walked toward S.Coups. He looked up at her.
"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Why can you and Mingyu oppa go out in the sun?" she asked. S.Coups looked at her.
"Dino oppa said you two are special. May I know why?" she asked.

"They didn't say anything about the family line?" S.Coups asked. She shook her head.

"Sit. I'll tell you what you need to know," S.Coups said, closing his books.

Haneul took the empty seat in front of him.

"In the vampire world, the hierarchy is determined by family clans. For example, we have the Kim clan and the Choi clan. At the top of the hierarchy pyramid is the Choi clan, the most powerful vampires, also known as purebloods. The second most powerful are the Kim clan, and the Han clan is the third. Other clans, like the Lee and Yoon clans, are lower on the pyramid," S.Coups began explaining.

He continued, "You can differentiate vampires from each clan by their powers."
"Powers? You have powers?" Haneul asked, and S.Coups nodded.

"I'm from the Choi clan, meaning I'm a pureblood. Vampires like me possess powers like this," S.Coups said, raising his hands. He created a fireball in his left palm and a water ball in his right.

Haneul's eyes widened in amazement. "Woah!" she exclaimed.

S.Coups waved his hands, and the powers disappeared. "Purebloods like me can control more than one element—fire, water, earth, and wind. Only a few purebloods possess two elemental powers."

"And you're one of the few," Haneul said, and he nodded.

"For the Kim clan, they don't possess multiple elemental powers, but their power is equivalent to a single pureblood's power. For example, Mingyu can't control elements, but he can control thunder," S.Coups explained. Haneul's eyes widened in surprise. "That's cool."

"The other families, like the Lees and Yoons, have powers that are weaker compared to the Choi and Kim clans," S.Coups added.

"So, does everyone in this house have powers?" Haneul asked.

"Yes, just ask them. You'll be amazed," S.Coups said.

"What about me?" Haneul asked.

S.Coups looked at her. "What do you mean?" 

"What about me? What's my power?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. We're not sure. There are clues, but we still need to figure it out. As we said before, you're a special case," S.Coups replied, leaning back in his chair.

Haneul glanced at his desk again, noticing the books scattered everywhere. "Is that what you're doing right now?" she asked. S.Coups followed her gaze to the books and nodded weakly.
"And there's still no clue to who you are, Haneul," he said, calling her by name.

Haneul was surprised. *He called my name. Normally, I'd freak out, but that's not the case now. I like how my name sounds coming from his lips*, she thought.

"Can I ask another thing?" Haneul asked.

"What?" S.Coups asked, his eyes closed.

Haneul gulped. "Why do you hate me?" she asked. S.Coups opened his eyes and looked at her coldly.

"What did you say?"

"Well... since I was little, you seemed to hate me. But now, you seem more open to me. You talk to me, and you're kind enough to tell me about vampires and your powers," she said. "So I wonder, why—"

"It's not time yet," S.Coups cut her off.

"What?" Haneul asked, confused.

"That's not the important issue right now. What's important is figuring out what's happening to you," S.Coups said coldly.

Haneul quickly bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She looked back at him. "I should leave," she said, excusing herself.

"By the way, you should get some sleep. You look terrible," Haneul said before finally walking out of the room.

S.Coups ruffled his hair messily.

"Why do you hate me?"

"I can't tell her I hate her because my soulmate is human, right? That wouldn't be a good start," S.Coups muttered to himself.