Hi, Carats! How are you all? I hope you've been well. I have a new chapter for you that I hope you enjoy. I don't have much else to say so please go right ahead and read chapter 10!
Seungcheol bursts into the vampire library. It's a musky place with little light except for a couple of lamps. Not many come here unless old vampire texts are needed. This is where the stories of the vampires' ancestors live, telling of their tales of the past. There's no one inside except for a man with glasses on his face near a shelf. He flashes Seungcheol a pointed look for causing a commotion during his entrance. "Sorry," Seungcheol murmurs, "Have you seen Wonwoo?"
"My son is in his office," The vampire says. Seungcheol nods and heads towards the room behind the main desk. He doesn't even bother knocking before entering the office. Wonwoo is sitting on a chair with a book in his hand. He looks up at Seungcheol with curious eyes. "Hello, hyung," Wonwoo says, grabbing a bookmark from beside him and slipping it into his book. He places the book onto the side table next to him and gives the vampire prince his full attention. "Hey," Seungcheol mutters. He paces back and forth anxiously, something on his mind. "What's wrong?" Wonwoo asks, watching as his friend moves.
"You're smart, aren't you?" Seungcheol asks.
Wonwoo shrugs, "Smarter than Soonyoung. Is something wrong?"
"I think I'm attracted to Jihoon," Seungcheol blurts out. Wonwoo nods, unaffected by his words. Seungcheol frowns, wondering why Wonwoo isn't reacting. "Hello? Did you hear me? I just said I think I like Jihoon!" Seungcheol exclaims.
Wonwoo nods, "Yeah, I heard."
"Then why are you so calm!" Seungcheol exclaims.
"I've known you had a thing for him since you first met him," Wonwoo says, "We all did. I think some of the guys actually bet on how long it would take you to figure it out. I, of course, did not participate."
Seungcheol scowls, "How come no one told me?!"
"We all told you," Wonwoo says, "You just choose to ignore us and brush it off."
Seungcheol sighs, "What am I supposed to do now?"
"How would I know? This is your crush, Seungcheol hyung. Not mine," Wonwoo says.
"He's human, Wonwoo," Seungcheol says, "And he has no idea I'm a vampire...if he were to ever find out..."
"I have a feeling he wouldn't mind," Wonwoo says, "From what you've told me about him, he doesn't seem like one to judge."
"That doesn't change the fact that he's still human!" Seungcheol says, "It's against the law!"
Wonwoo chuckles, "You're such a rule-follower. Be a little rebellious, your highness. Do you really believe every vampire follows every law your father has in place? I am sure some are in relationships with humans. And if they are...why can't you?"
"Cause they're not the crown prince of the vampire society!" Seungcheol cries, "They don't have the King and Queen as their parents! I can't like Jihoon! If my parents find out about him, they'll kill him! They'll make up some crap about how he used his human germs to infect me! I can't have that happening! How do I stop liking someone!?"
"Time," Wonwoo says, "You have to let your affection run its course and eventually die out. That only works though if you want to actually stop liking him." Seungcheol sighs and purses his lips. He knows he can't like Jihoon, but can he really just stop. He doesn't want to. That would mean that he can't be near the human. He can't go see him in order to put a stop to his feelings for Jihoon. Can he do that? At the moment, he can't stop thinking about the human. About the day they've spent together. Something that Seungcheol can't help but think of as one of the best days of his life. For the first time in a long while, he was happy. Can he push that all aside? "You don't want to stop," Wonwoo says, "Do you?"
Seungcheol shakes his head, "It's selfish of me, but I just can't..."
"That's fine," Wonwoo says, "I'm sure you can make something work. If you truly care for him and really do want something to become of your relationship, you should never give up. Keep fighting for it even if the odds seem against you."
Seungcheol nods, "For him...I'll do it..."
≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪
Jihoon grabs his brothers by the ear and drags them into the apartment the second the door opens. "Ow!" Seokmin shrieks, holding his ear in pain.
"Hyung! Let us take our shoes off first!" Chan exclaims. Jihoon huffs and releases their ears. He crosses his arms and taps his foot, waiting for them to finish. Chan and Seokmin exchange a glance, wondering what in the world is going on with Jihoon. They quickly yank off their shoes and toss them amongst Jihoon's others. The three brothers then gravitate towards the living room. They all sit on the couch and the younger ones eye Jihoon. "What's so urgent that you had to pull us inside by our ears?" Seokmin asks.
"I think I like Seungcheol," Jihoon says.
"No shit," Chan states, "That isn't a good reason to pinch my ear!"
"Lee Chan! No cursing!" Seokmin shrieks.
Chan rolls his eyes, "I'm not five!"
"Hello! Quit arguing and help me!" Jihoon shouts, "I'm freaking out!"
"Yeah, you tend to get a bit violent when you're stressed," Seokmin muses.
Jihoon growls and slaps Seokmin's arm, "I'm not violent!" Seokmin winces and nods his head, shifting a little away from Jihoon. "Why are you going crazy?" Chan asks, "It's not that big of a deal."
"I met him a couple of days ago!" Jihoon exclaims, "How can I already have feelings for him?
"Why does that matter?" Seokmin asks, "It's not like you're marrying him. You just have a crush. People have crushes all the time."
"Why are your feelings dawning on you now?" Chan asks, "Did something happen while we were gone?"
"Seungcheol came over a couple hours ago," Jihoon answers, "We were watching Black Panther."
"Hm, you got a keeper there," Chan comments, "I mean...who else would watch that movie with Mr. Marvel Fanboy here."
"Hey!" Jihoon says, "Black Panther is a great movie, but that's besides the point!"
"Why? What happened?" Seokmin questions.
Jihoon runs his hand through his hair, "Our hands touched while we were reaching for the popcorn."
"Cliché," Chan mutters.
"And then, I got cold and he covered me with a blanket," Jihoon says with a wistful look on his face.
"Aw, sweet," Seokmin coos.
"And when I was trying to get up to take the disc out, I tripped and fell onto the floor. Seungcheol tried to help me and ended up falling on top of me," Jihoon says in a loud hurried tone.
"Gross," Chan states with a look of disgust on his face.
"I still don't understand why you're freaking out," Seokmin says, "Seungcheol seems like a great guy."
"He is..." Jihoon murmurs, "We exchanged numbers before he left. He was happy about it cause he said he can talk to me anytime he wants now..."
"I don't see the issue here," Chan says, "I mean he's clearly interested in you."
"But, why?" Jihoon asks, "Why me? I'm a struggling singer songwriter who has to work part-time at a cafe. He's a freaking chaebol!"
"If you watched dramas, you would know the rich guy always goes for the poor girl," Seokmin says.
Jihoon rolls his eyes, "My life isn't some drama, Seokmin."
Seokmin sighs, "I know. I'm just saying. You're more than just your job. I doubt Seungcheol is one to care about that. I mean he came over to your apartment to watch Black Panther with you and eat microwave popcorn. I don't think he gives two craps about your social status."
"You're right," Jihoon mutters, "But...what about me? How can I have a crush on him? I haven't had a crush on someone since I was in high school. And I don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to relationships!"
"You haven't even started anything with him yet," Chan says, "How can you already be this worried?"
"I don't know!" Jihoon exclaims, "Seungcheol is just making my head spin! He's messing with my head!"
"Well, I have a remedy for that," Seokmin says.
"What?" Jihoon asks.
"Invite him to your gig at Chanyeol hyung's bar," Seokmin says, "The one this Friday. He can watch you perform and then you two can talk over drinks."
"That's not a bad idea," Chan says, "It's clear you like him. I mean I've never seen you react this way about anyone, hyung."
"Do you think he would actually come?" Jihoon asks.
"One way to find out," Seokmin says. Jihoon nods and takes his phone from his pocket. He taps at his screen, writing out a message for Seungcheol. He sends it quickly before he can chicken out. He lets out a breath and looks to his brothers anxiously. His phone buzzes almost a second later and Jihoon brings it to his face instantly. I would love to. I may be busy though. I'll let you know for sure tomorrow. "Did he answer?" Chan asks.
Jihoon nods, "He said he would love to, but he may not be able to if he's busy."
"He didn't say no," Seokmin says, "I'd take it as a win."
"Yeah..." Jihoon murmurs before it begins to dawn on him that he asked Seungcheol to come see him perform, "Oh, crap! He's going to see me sing! What if he hates my voice? What if I mess up and he thinks I'm a total fool! This was a terrible idea!" Seokmin and Chan shake their heads as Jihoon continues to ramble about what could go wrong and how he just made a horrible mistake.
Oooooo, they finally admitted their feelings. What do you all think is going to happen next? More fluff or is the angst to come? 😆 I hope that you continue to enjoy and show this story some love. Please comment, vote, follow me, add this story to your library, and check out my Romance One-shots!