"You're gonna make a scene if you do this, Joohyun" Yoonoh warned the petite vampire, firmly grabbing her wrist to stop her any movement.
"I can't just watch that girl mess with Seulgi, I have to do something" Joohyun argued, trying to escape Yoonoh's tight grip.
"Calm down, Joohyun" Yerim rubbed the older one's back.
Yuta on the other hand was too busy watching the scene from miles away.
The five top class vampires were on their way to fetch Seulgi in the school's dining hall, so they could prepare together for tonight's celebration. As they neared, they saw a commotion happening through the full glass windows in the dining hall. Thanks to the exceptional abilities they possess, one of which is hearing, the vampires soon figured out that an unfamiliar girl was messing with Seulgi.
"Seulgi can defend herself" Taeyong countered, listening attentively to the arguing females as they stood outside the building.
"You didn't really get invited to Joohyun's birthday, am I right?" Min Yoojung loudly asked to humiliate Seulgi even more. "I bet you just made it up. Because if it were true, then why are you still here? Shouldn't you be with them by now?" She hissed.
Seulgi stared at her with a stoic expression, maintaining her composure. After all, Yoojung seemed to be the type of person who hears what she only wants to hear. So, it was useless to argue.
"You're just a self-proclaimed 'friend' of theirs. Gosh, how delusional" Yoojung dramatically spoke, smirking.
Yoojung was stupid enough to think she won the arguement because of her silence. "What now Seulgi? You can't make up an explanation to cover up your lies?"
"I don't owe you any explanation, Yoojung" Seulgi replied nonchalantly.
"Just say you're being pathetic and delusional!" Yoojung took a step forward, roughly pushing Seulgi's shoulders.
Seungwan scoffed at the words Yoojung spat at her friend. "How about you admit the fact that you're just envious of Seulgi instead?" She retorted.
"Oooh!!" The students who were watching hollered, pissing her off.
Yoojung shot her a death glare. "I wasn't talking to you!" She pushed Seungwan to the ground.
Seulgi balled her fists, losing her temper. She harshly grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm, making her shrill in pain.
"Don't you dare touch any of my friends with your filthy hands," Seulgi spoke direly, twisting her arm even more. "I don't think you would like me to kick you to the ground again just like the last time, would you?" She smirked.
Yoojung groaned in agony, unable to wriggle herself off of Seulgi's tight hold.
"Let's go, Seulgi" Joohyun approached them, holding onto her arm. "She's not worth your time"
Seulgi abruptly let go of her arm, making her lose balance and fall to the ground. She took a deep breath to calm down her nerves.
Yoojung stared at them wide-eyed, almost turning pale for she was not expecting the arrival of the five vampires.
"Are you alright?" Yuta kneeled down to Seungwan's level, helping her stand up.
"Yeah, thank you" Seungwan offered a small smile, unable to look directly in his eyes.
Taeyong slowly walked up to Yoojung with a dark expression as he stared down at her direction. And if looks could kill, her body would be lifelessly lying on the floor by now.
"Get lost" Were the cold words he uttered before he dragged Seulgi out of the dining hall. Joohyun gave Yoojung a disapproving look before they followed the pair out.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Oh my gosh! You look so pretty!" Joohyun mused when Seulgi stepped out of her walk in closet.
Seulgi smiled, shaking her head. "No one can beat your beauty, birthday girl" Joohyun looked even more breathtaking with her brunette hair pushed back.
"Here's your shoes, Seulgi" Yerim, who had her blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, handed her the pair of heels.
"Can't I wear my converse instead?" Seulgi complained after slipping on the red stilettos.
"You'd trip if you don't wear heels, Seulgi" Joohyun was right. She would only have trouble walking if she wore her converse, but she didn't like the idea of wearing stilettos for the rest of the night.
"I think I'll die if I wear this throughout the entire party" Seulgi tried balancing herself in the three inch heels she wore.
"It's called killer heels for a reason," Yerim chuckled, seeing her struggle a bit with her shoes. "You either use it to kill someone or it kills you"
"I don't prefer any of the options" Seulgi said with a laugh, checking her reflection in the full length mirror in Joohyun's room.
Seulgi observed herself in the mirror. Her jet black waves fell featly past her shoulders. Natural tones were used for her eyes, and a light blush on. A thin layer of black eyeliner and mascara made her feline eyes pop out. Diamond earrings were fastened to her ears and the bracelet Joohyun gave her completed her look. The only thing left was to put on some lipstick.
Seulgi applied a generous amount of classic red lipstick on her lips. She smacked her lips afterwards, satisfied with her overall appearance. Contrary to her gentle and innocent looking face, her crimson lips always gave her a sultry vibe.
"Are you ready? Our service will arrive in ten minutes" Joohyun informed as she glanced at the time.
"Yeah, let's go" Yerim nodded, grabbing her clutch.
Seulgi followed her actions, making sure she brought all her necessities inside her gold clutch.
"Woah," Yoonoh gawked as soon as he spotted the three ladies walking out from Joohyun's room.
"Please close your mouths, you're embarrassing" Yuta had a look of disgust in his face. Both of his hands made their way under Yoonoh and Taeyong's chin, closing their agape mouths.
All six of them sported red suits and dresses. Seulgi was reminded of their acquaintance party back then. She used to wear black because it was the assigned color of humans, but now she wore red; the color of vampires– something she was not.
Taeyong seemingly could not take his eyes off the undeniably alluring human.
Seulgi wore a red colored v-neck dress with a slit on its right that went up mid-thigh, exposing her milky white legs. The laced fabric hugged her body flawlessly, flaunting off her slim yet curvaceous body proportions. Her red dress perfectly matched her crimson lips.
"Can I talk to you in private?"
Seulgi looked up to see Taeyong in a blood red velvet suit. The first three buttons of his white dress shirt were unbuttoned, teasingly exposing his chest. He had a few ear piercings and a diamond choker on, and she had to admit he looked exceptionally charismatic in it.
"Sure," Seulgi nodded, allowing him to take her to somewhere more private.
"Where are you both going?" Yuta caught them escaping.
"None of your business, Nakamoto" Taeyong spared him no glance, taking her with him to his room.
Seulgi observed his surprisingly clean and neat room. The walls were painted in light gray and the furnitures were all black. What caught her attention was the small gray hammerhead shark plushie tucked under the sheets in his large white king sized bed. She smiled inwardly.
The large black and white portrait hung on his wall wasn't left unnoticed by Seulgi. Four young girls around the age of sat closely to each other on a bench while five young boys stood behind them, arms draped on each other's shoulders. All of them wore bright smiles on their faces, depicting their close bond.
Seulgi was able to recognize the five top class vampires, but failed to do so with the four other unfamiliar faces.
She was about to ask him, but her words got caught in her throat when she felt his fingers brushing softly against her nape.
Taeyong carefully brushed away her soft waves as he secured a necklace to her slim, long neck. After locking the chain, he turned her around to face him, fixing her strands.
Confused, she gingerly let her fingertips graze the pendant, glancing down to admire the red rose hung on the golden chain.
"A rose?" Seulgi stated the obvious, staring at him curiously.
Taeyong nodded his head, resting his hands on each side of her hips. "Grandpa gave it to me before he died. He gave it to his first love. Sadly, she gave it back to him when grandpa married grandma"
Seulgi bit her bottom lip in hesitation, shaking her head vigorously. "I can't take this. This belongs to your grandpa—"
She reached out to her back to unclasp the chain, but he held her hands firmly to stop her actions. "And I'm giving it to you" He smiled in reassurance.
"W-Why?" Instinctively, she removed his grip on hers.
Taeyong chuckled, bringing his hands back to her hips at the sudden lost of contact. "That's a story for another time"
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
A loud honk dragged Seulgi back to reality. She peeked out of the window of the limousine to see four black cars escort their vehicle towards the castle-like mansion ahead of them.
The car ride to Joohyun's home was silent. None of them looked very estatic of attending the party, and it made Seulgi nervous. Now that they neared the main entrance of the mansion, where everyone awaits of the arrival of the birthday celebrant, made Seulgi more anxious than she already is.
Joohyun placed her hand over Seulgi's cold and shaky hands in attempt to calm her down. "Chin up, Seulgi. You're one of us now" She lifted her chin and gave her a comforting smile.
Yuta was the first to exit the limousine followed by Yoonoh who helped Yeri with her dress. Taeyong was next to greet the crowd of guests, assisting the remaining two females with their dresses.
The vampires gaped at the sight of a new face with the high rank vampires. The scent of Seulgi's blood filled their senses, and they instantly concluded she was no vampire like all of them. She was a human, an outcast that had no place in the vampire world.
Taeyong sensed Seulgi's uneasiness and securely wrapped a protective arm around her waist, making their eyes widen in disbelief.
Joohyun's sharp stare traveled among the crowd of vampires, giving them a dire warning to not mess with them, especially their new friend.
Joohyun led the clique to the grand ballroom of the castle. Everyone made space for the six of them as they waltzed down the red carpet.
"Wow" Seulgi bravely admired the interior design of the mansion, eyes lighting up at the numerous paintings hung on the wall.
Taeyong turned to the woman with an almost unnoticeable smile. "You don't need to try to impress anybody. You can charm anyone by just being yourself" He sincerly told her, making her body relax in his arms.
Two men in black suits bowed down to Joohyun as they opened the large ivory door that led to ballroom where their parents awaited.
A large diamond chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the grand ballroom. The walls were painted a classic white where tall red banners suspended. Each banner had golden streaks and family name's of powerful clans accross the globe were embroidered in the silk fabric.
"Happy Birthday, my lovely daughter" A gorgeous woman in her late forties opened her arms widely, inviting her daughter in a hug.
Joohyun ran to her mother's arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, mom" She mumbled against the embrace.
"Happy Birthday, princess" Seulgi smiled at the sight of Joohyun's father kissing her forehead. She suddenly missed her own dad. Her loving father also addressed her as his princess.
The rest of the high rank vampires greeted their own parents, leaving Seulgi to stand awkwardly by herself. By now, the guests have arrived at the hall, and she could feel their lingering stares on her lonely figure.
"Who is this lovely lady right here?" Another strikingly gorgeous yet intimidating woman spoke up.
Taeyong cleared his throat in attempt to wash away the unexpected nervousness. "Kang Seulgi, meet my parents; Lee Jaejoong and Park Hyesung"
Seulgi courageously took a step forward. "Good evening, I'm Kang Seulgi" She bowed politely, smiling sweetly.
Joohyun linked her arms with Seulgi, ignoring the questioning stares being thrown at them. "She's our friend" She added with a smile.
"That's good to hear" Taeyong's mother nodded in understanding. "It's good to hear that she's only a friend"
✎ golden_wonder
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Author's Note: This is honestly a crappy chapter, I'm deeply sorry. To my two lovely readers who requested and update, here it is! And I'm sorry once again if it didn't meet your expectations.
I promise to do better in the next chapter. Updates on Crimson Rose will be slower than my other book Femme Fatale. But no worries, I'll definitely try my best to finish this book.
I hope you don't mind that Taeyong's great grandfather is Yunho and his father is Jaejoong lol.
Anyways, have a wonderful day, loves! Keep safe and always stay hydrated ♡