Vampire Brothers

Chapter 20

Haneul tossed and turned in her sleep, a deep frown etched on her face.

"No! Gyuri-ah!"

"Let her go!"

"No!"

"Miso-ah!"

"Youngjoon oppa!"

"No!" Haneul suddenly woke up, beads of sweat running down her face. What was that? she thought, clutching her head. "Such a horrible sight. Blood... blood..." she panted.

She got out of bed and went downstairs. The grandfather clock read 2:00 a.m. *2 in the morning* she thought. "What's wrong with me? I keep waking up this early." She went into the kitchen to get herself a glass of milk, then walked to the living room and sat comfortably on the couch.

She kept thinking about the dream. *It felt so real*, she thought.

"Hey, princess," Vernon appeared behind her. She let out a small yelp. "Vernon oppa! Don't do that!" she scolded him. Vernon chuckled and took a seat next to her. "Why are you up, Haneul?" he asked. "I had a nightmare, that's all," she answered. "You sure?" Vernon asked again, and she nodded. He gently patted her head.

"What are you doing up at this hour, oppa?" Haneul asked. "Just walking around the house, going to the garden, and doing other things," Vernon replied. "Does it hurt not being able to be in the sun?" Haneul asked. "Not really. Back in the vampire world, the sun isn't like the human world's sun, so I got to feel it when I was there. But it's been a while since we all went back," Vernon told her.

"Why don't you go back then? I'll be fine on my own," Haneul said. "That's not it, Haneul. The thirteen of us were banned from returning to the vampire world. If we did, and someone saw and found us, we'd be beheaded," Vernon explained. She gasped, "But that's your home. It's your place!" Haneul exclaimed. "They can't do that to you."

"They can, Haneul. S.Coups hyung returned home last time to get some things from his place. It seems someone found him. He managed to escape, I guess, but he came back injured. We all knew it, though he didn't tell us," Vernon sighed.

Haneul frowned deeply. "Did you do something in the past? Why do others want to kill you?" she asked. Vernon smiled and patted her head again. "It's not time for you to know yet, Princess. We promised to tell you everything when we feel you're ready." "But—" "I should return to my room. Bye, princess." Vernon stood up and disappeared into his room.

*Should I ask S.Coups oppa about it?* she wondered. "Wait! Haneul, you have twelve other brothers, why him?" she asked herself.

Haneul went back to the kitchen to wash the glass she was using, then headed upstairs. As she passed everyone's rooms, she noticed the lights were still on. *I guess it's true when Woozi oppa said they are awake at this hour*, she thought.

Her feet brought her to a stop in front of S.Coups's room. She frowned. *The lights are off*, she noticed. She turned the corner and ended up in front of S.Coups's reading room. From the small crack under the door, she could see a dim light inside.

She twisted the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. "Hmm?" She poked her head inside, looking for S.Coups. From a distance, she couldn't find him at his reading table. "S.Coups oppa?" she called, but there was no answer. She began looking around.

As she passed by a few shelves, she saw a dark figure sitting on the floor. Haneul approached him, crouching down. "S.Coups oppa," she said softly, gently squeezing his hands.

He slowly opened his eyes. "What?"

"You should sleep on the couch, oppa," Haneul suggested.

"Later," S.Coups replied shortly before closing his eyes again. Haneul held his hand once more. "S.Coups oppa," she called.

Without opening his eyes, S.Coups pulled her to sit next to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Haneul's face turned red. "O-Oppa..." "If you disturb me again, I'll pull you even closer. Do you want that?" S.Coups said. She shook her head eagerly. "Then be quiet and let me sleep," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

Haneul's heart raced. She turned to her left; S.Coups was just inches away. She wasn't used to being this close to any of the guys in the mansion, let alone S.Coups. She wanted to move away but couldn't find a good enough reason to do so. It's not that she wasn't uncomfortable; S.Coups's presence was supposed to be intimidating, but she felt differently. The close proximity made her feel at ease. Soon after, Haneul also fell asleep on his shoulder.

Haneul woke up in the afternoon, which surprised her. She was usually a morning person. It was the first time she had slept so late. But that wasn't the only surprise—she found herself in her own room.

*But I thought I was with S.Coups oppa last night... Did he?* she wondered as she lazily went to the restroom to freshen up.

After changing into clean clothes, she went downstairs to get some food. To her surprise, Jeonghan was there in the living room. "Jeonghan oppa," Haneul called.

"Oh? Haneul-ah," Jeonghan responded as she walked down the stairs.

"Why are you up, oppa?" she asked. "I couldn't sleep. How about you? You look like you just woke up," Jeonghan teased. "How'd you know?" she asked, puzzled.

"Usually, you'd be outside in the garden or watching TV. And you look a little fresher, so I figured," Jeonghan smiled.

Haneul uneasily rubbed her neck. "I kind of woke up late." "That's not like you at all, Haneul. What happened?" Jeonghan asked, patting the empty seat next to him. Haneul sat down.

She sighed, "These past few days, I've felt something's wrong with my body. I sleep late and wake up late too. It's like my sleep cycle is turning upside down..."

Haneul then looked at Jeonghan in shock, noticing he was already smiling at her. "Please don't tell me it's because of the vampire thing that all this is happening to me," she said. "Okay, I won't tell you," Jeonghan smiled.

Haneul groaned. "How long do I have to deal with this change?" she asked Jeonghan. "Probably until you fully adapt to your new life? I'm not sure, Haneul," Jeonghan replied.

She leaned back on the couch and let out another heavy sigh. "What's wrong?" Jeonghan asked. "I have so much to do. I have to adapt to all these changes, and I need to find out what my power is," Haneul said.

"Your power?"

She nodded, "All of you have powers, but I probably don't have any. I've been human from the start, after all."

"And I have to figure out how I even became a vampire," she added, ruffling her hair. "My life is a mess."

Jeonghan laughed and gently patted her head. "Take it slow, Haneul. We're here for you. We'll help you get through all these changes, and we'll figure out what your power is if you have one. Even if you don't have any, you'll still be our Haneul." Haneul smiled.