𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖

a/n while editing this i accidentally made it super long, whoops😅

-나는 그들의 것, 그들은 내 꺼야-

-areum's pov-

the awkward aura followed us as we went home. what could we even say to each other? how do i even respond to what he said?

but how does he know that seungcheol said he had feelings for me? why does he have feelings for me? i'm just a regular girl. i'm nothing special. i'm just a bratty, crybaby that can't do anything without them

"why?" i finally spoke. breaking the silence in the car

"why... do you love me?" i repeated, holding my hands tightly against each other and staring at them. i couldn't bring myself to look at his eyes

i heard him sigh and move in his seat. "because i do" he simply responded

turning my head to look at him, my eyes were slightly wide. "that's n-not a reason" i said through my sniffles

"one day, i'll tell you" he looked out onto the road, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on his thigh

"what, you're comfortable enough to tell me you love me, but you won't tell me why?" i felt a strange courage rise in me

i need a reason. i need to know why, because i don't understand why he would love such a simple girl that'll probably never have an impact on anyone else's life. i'm nothing. i need to know why he loves me

-soonyoung's pov-

"areum, one day i'll tell you" i sighed, "but just know that it's true. i love you, and i always will" i responded, glancing at her as i spoke

her eyes were still clouded with tears and her cheeks and nose were still pink

"fine" she muttered and sank onto her seat, staring out the window as i turned my head to the road once again

🌷

for the rest of the ride there was silence, the only thing heard was the sound of the radio and the people talking about the weather and the news of what happened today

i messed up

those were the only words that were in my head as we drove back home

i shouldn't have told her like that. i should have sat down and talked to her about it. if i had proper time to plan, it would have been romantic. i would have taken her out on a date or something and it wouldn't have been during my sister's death anniversary... it would have gone better than this

i wouldn't have yelled it to her, i wouldn't seem like i'm jealous

but i am

i am jealous

because she might love the others. but i also love her, and i want her to love me as well

when we walked through the front door, i saw wonwoo sitting in the darkness. his eyes glowed through the darkness, they were blood-red

"shit" i muttered

from the corner of my eye, i saw areum turn her head to me, confusion written all over her face

"what're you doing awake?" i asked him, our eyes meeting each other

"i was waiting for you both" he stood up from his seat, his voice was in a monotone, but i could tell he was enraged as he glared at me

"never bring her home this late again" he scowled at me, "she was with me she was fine" i responded, my voice calm

"i don't care. now go away, i want to talk to her" he slightly pushed me away

i scowled at him as when he did. "what are you going to talk about?" i want to know

"none of your business" he scowled at me. his expression stone cold, like it always was

i let out a small sigh as i turned to areum, she seemed a little afraid of what he would do, but i gave her a reassuring smile and put a hand to her shoulder. "it's ok" my lips thinned into a line after i spoke to her

he won't hurt her. she'll be fine, i reassured myself

with the small smile i gave her, she seemed to calm down, i could hear her heartbeat slow down a little. before the pitter-patter of her heart was going out of control, so i was a little worried. but thankfully, she seemed to calm down at my words of reassurance

i admitted defeat and walked away, but before i left, i scowled at wonwoo again. i knew what he was going to do. he's going to bitch about coming late and he'll be angrier at me than her, but he'll tell her off about it but won't say anything else to me

but no matter what, he'll never hurt her

because he loves her just as much as i do

i realized it when he returned. the way he looked at her changed from when she was younger. he didn't see her as the little girl she used to be, he looked at her like she was a woman. like she was the only one in the entire world

-wonwoo's pov-

he's crazy to bring her home this late, i thought to myself as i watched him walk away from us and go up the stairs, not turning to areum until i heard his bedroom door close

when i finally heard it, i turned to her. when i did, she seemed to quiver in her place as she looked away as soon as our eyes met

"look at me" i ordered her, my cold voice making her flinch a bit

she looked up at me with puffy eyes and a red nose. she looked afraid as she stared at me, looking for some mercy or warmth in my own eyes

-areum's pov-

i always hated getting in trouble with him. he would regularly scold me if i got a bad mark in a class when i was younger. he would never speak to me unless it was to scold me about school. wonwoo was the only one that truly cared about that. the others would usually just tell me something about it and tell me to be better

but he, he would scream and yell at me if i did badly in school. but her never hit me. he never even raised his arms to scare me. that was something i was thankful for

but he's still terrifying

it wasn't just his aura and presence in a room, it's the fact that i don't truly know wonwoo

i know who he is, but i don't know what he is capable of doing

i truly don't know anything about him other than his name

i don't know his dislikes or likes. i don't know what type of music he like or what bothers him. i only truly know his name

luckily after a few years, a time before they left, he finally started opening up to me. he started talking to me casually and asking how my day was in school. of course, i would never tell him the truth, i would tell him vague answers about school

but right now, as i stared up at him, i saw the man from a few years ago. the one that oversaw my punishments and the one that would yell and scream at me. i didn't see the man that would tell me about the books he read or the one that would ask how my day was

"i'm sorry we arrived late" i muttered, trying to find something else to stare at besides his cold eyes

"don't mutter. no one can understand you when you mumble" he said harshly, his voice as deep and cold as ever

"sorry" this time with a clear voice

he kept looking down at me. i felt miniscule in front of him. "don't ever come home late. i don't want to have to wait for you to come home"

"it won't happen again" i looked down at his broad chest, trying to look away from his piercing eyes. his words making my hands tremble as they fidgeted with each other

why do you even care?

he scowled again before he turned back around to walk away. but before he even took a second step, i grabbed onto his arm. "it wasn't my fault" i said. that same strange courage from before coming back to me

he slightly turned his head to the side, hearing my words properly. "i don't care. don't come home late again"

"why do you even care?" my grip on his arm tightening

"you never cared much when i was younger. you would only ever talk to me if it was to scold me. you pretty much hate me, so why do you care?" i spoke, forgetting about the man that did care. the man he became after a few years. i could only see the man that punished me

he turned around more, his eyes the usual dark color now. they weren't blood red like how they were when we first walked in. "because i do care about you. because i worry about you, and i'm also responsible for you, just like the others. i just take it more seriously" he said with sharp words

but what he said next and how he said it, surprised me. "i never hated you, you know? i just don't know how to show you i care" his words were softer now, a huge difference to how they were a few mere moments ago. "i don't know how to express myself to you"

it finally made sense. he yells and screams when he gets angry at me, and the few times i see him frustrated he explodes like a child that can't use words

i remember one time i was walking past his room, he was screaming and throwing the furniture around, breaking everything in his path. that say i remember him screaming at mingyu and mingyu being just as angry. they yelled at each other like the other killed someone they cared about

"but why?" my hands lowering from his arm to his cold hands. "because you remind me of soonyoung's older sister" he said, holding my hands a little tighter, "and i was in love with her" he uttered out, the only words hear in the silent living room

my breath hitched at his words

"i was in love with my noona, and she never found out, and every time i look at you, i see a bit of her in you" his eyes had become soft, and he spoke softly

"what?" i muttered out of shock

i saw him crack a small smile, looking away from me

"i love you. but not because you remind me of her, but because of who you are. you might have similar mannerisms to her, and you might act like her sometimes, but you aren't her. you're you. you are still so different to her"

"what?" i repeated, not believing his words

but that minor smile on his face faded. "look, just forget it" he let go of my hand, dismissing my shock and walking away

"wait!" i semi-shouted

"you can't just say that and leave" i pleaded

my words got him to stop in his tracks, but he wouldn't turn around to look at me

"i know. but i can't keep talking about this right now, plus you have to sleep. you have school tomorrow, and you can't go tired" he said, sniffling slightly at the end. "i'll be the one to pick you up tomorrow. we'll talk about it then" he walked away before i even got the chance to answer again

was he crying? or was that just my imagination?

i stood there in the living room, trying to process what he said. while at the same time remembering what soonyoung said at the bay

why me? why do they love me? i'm nobody special...

but before i could keep thinking, i remembered what vernon had said to me before. to greet him when i got home

i walked to my room, collapsing behind my door once i closed it

i could feel every ache in my body. my feet stinging when i took off the low heels i was wearing, the dress i was wearing now making me feel icky and disgusting

but i disregarded my tired state, standing up despite my body's need to rest

i didn't do much, but for some reason i still felt exhausted. more mentally than physically

i walked towards my bathroom, my heels on hand and looked at my reflection in the mirror

my eyes were puffy and pink, my hair a little messy from the strong and cold wind of the night. i dropped my heels on the floor, putting my hands up to my face, my cold hands meeting my cold cheeks

"i should shower" i muttered out. now the only thought in my brain. the need to warm up my body. i slowly peeled off the dress i was wearing, placing it onto the counter of the bathroom and staring at my naked body

my usual pale skin looked whiter than normal

"i'm so cold" i whispered as i stared at every curve and imperfection on my body. i let lose my dark raven hair and walked to the shower

turning it on and evading the initial cold water, placing the heat to the hottest possible and letting it fall over my body

it felt like it was curing all my aches, the water heating up my body

🌷

i changed into some pajamas and sat down in my bed. thinking

thinking about anything and everything

what she was wearing:

my room was freezing cold. it felt so empty, and i felt alone

i could feel a few droplets from my hair fall onto my neck and my sweater getting wet from it

my eyes grew heavy, and my mind became tired

but before they could close, i heard my bedroom door open

the sound made me flinch and it woke me up entirely

"hey" he said as he closed the door behind him. "vernon oppa?" i mumbled as i lightly rubbed my eyes. my bedroom was still dark, the only light being the moonlight that poured in through the windows

"yeah. i was wondering if you had gotten home" he walked a little closer to me, a soft smile on his face

"oh yeah. i was going to your bedroom right now" i stood up from my bed and looked at him

"no, you weren't. you were literally about to fall asleep" he chuckled a little. "your hair is wet" he brought his hand up to my hair, running his hand through my wet locks

"sit down. i'm going to dry it" he ushered me to sit, and he walked to my bathroom. i smiled at the thought that he hadn't changed much

he has always been caring, even when i was younger. but still, he's different

he now seemed more serious than before, more mature. vampires don't age, but he seemed to get older; or maybe he was always like this and i didn't realize. maybe he only showed the happier, sillier, parts to me. i used to watch him talk to his older brothers, he always looked so serious when he spoke

i guess i never saw it

he walked back into my room with a dry towel in his hands, his face serious

vernon's hair was a little messy and he was wearing black sweats with a white shirt, his face handsome as ever. that never changes

he kneeled on the bed behind me and started drying my hair with the towel, ruffling it around in the process

"thank you" i whispered as i felt my eyes grow tired again

"after this, we're going to sleep in my bedroom" he said

"i just want to sleep" i yawned

thank you vernon for making me forget

🌷

-7:00 am-

i felt vernon's arms around me as he held me close to his body, my back touching his chest. i could see the light pouring in through the large windows of his room as i opened my eyes, only to close them again, knowing that i would soon have to wake up for school

he shuffled around and hugged me tighter for a second and placing his head near my neck. i could feel his hot breath on my nape

i felt like i was in the most peaceful place to exist. almost like a calm before a storm, because i know once i get up from this bed, i'm going to have to do countless numbers of assignments and have to deal with weird, perverted teacher when i get to school

"you have to wake up" he whispered. the sound of his morning voice making me shudder

his room felt warm against the harsh morning cold of winter. "i don't want to" i whispered back, snuggling deeper into the cozy blanket on us

there were a few moments of silence where we just enjoyed each other's presence, taking in the sound of a few birds outside chirping and the silence of the room where the only thing you could hear was our own breathing

i closed my eyes, trying to take in this moment of peace, but there was someone at the door. they came in loudly. it felt like the slammed the door close, their footsteps sounded loud. it was my imagination and my groggy state that made them sound like that, but it still disrupted my two second nap i was taking in vernon's arms

from the way they were walking i could tell it was seungkwan. i can usually tell who the person is without looking just from their footsteps. they all had a different way of walking

he came to where i was, kneeling in front of me, looking at me for a moment before he whispered, "areum"

i groaned at the disturbance of the small peace i had just acquired

"you gave to wake up" he gently patted my slightly damp hair. despite vernon's best efforts, he couldn't completely dry my hair. so, i went to sleep with my hair damp

"please let me sleep more" i whispered back; my face snuggled into the blankets and holding vernon's arms that were around my waist

"you have to go to school" vernon whispered, his breath hitting my neck again. i felt the hair at the back of my neck standup. he hugged me tighter, and i whined from the idea of having to go to school

"no please, it's so cold and i'm really comfortable here" i whined again into the blanket. seungkwan grabbed onto my arm and started tugging it. "if you wanted to sleep maybe you shouldn't have come home so late" he pulled a little harder

"it wasn't my fault" i pulled back

"areum, every morning you put up a fight and, in the end, you always end up going to school" he said. i slightly opened my eyes and saw a slight scowl on his face

i felt vernon sit up behind me, his arms that were wrapped so tightly around me were gone. he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me so that i was sitting up. i felt my arms meet the cold of the morning

"if you don't get up, you'll probably face wonwoo and seungcheol hyung's wrath" he whispered in my ear

those simple words were enough to make my sleepy eyes go wide

seungcheol's punishments were worse than wonwoo's. he too would scold me when i was young. i remember i once snuck into his office and he caught me. i was playing with an old photo near the door, looking back that was probably a picture of them from a good sixty or seventy years ago. he screamed for me to get out, he even threw something at me. it didn't come close to hitting me, but it was enough to scare me away

"fine" i groaned. vernon hugged me tightly from behind and i seungkwan had a look of triumph on his face

i pulled away from his hold, peeling out of the warm blankets and walking out of his room to my own

school is better here than how it was in seoul. but there are still a few things that make me not want to go. there's still tremendous amounts of homework and the teachers are sometimes a little weird. one of my teachers is a pervert, and he stares at me in class. but at least the students are nicer. i wasn't friends with any of them, but they were kind when i asked for help

that was something i was very reluctant about when we first arrived in paris. i thought everyone was going to be cruel, like how they were in seoul. but people were very respectful and kind. i just couldn't bring myself to befriends any of them

i walked into my bathroom and looked at my reflection again, reminded of last night and how i looked

and what had happened with wonwoo and soonyoung

i groaned at the thought of how complicated everything got in a few hours

i felt my body beg for warmth as it was still december. i looked down my phone. it read 7:09, monday, december 14th

every monday and friday at my school, we were allowed to wear whatever we liked, as long as it was appropriate, but it was only during the colder months

i took off my clothes and walked into the bathroom, thankful of having hot water

what she was wearing:

something you learn from living with ancient vampires that like to dress up, more specifically myungho oppa and joshua oppa, is how to dress properly. i'm thankful i never went through the awkward phase of not knowing how to dress well. they were always there to catch me when i failed

i grabbed my laptop from my desk and placed it into its bag while heading downstairs. after my shower i tried to forget what had happened the day before, i only wanted to focus on getting through the school day

so, i walked down the steps and was met with all of them in the living room, but bangchan wasn't there, he was nowhere to be found

"where's kangaroo?" i asked them as i got off the last step, my hand still on the railing. i gave bangchan that nickname when i found out he was from australia, his accent was always fun to listen to. i used to tease him a little when he spoke english

they all turned their head to look at me, "he asked for the week off. he said he needed personal time" seokmin said

"the entire week?" i repeated to myself

that's odd. he's never taken time off since i've met him

"we should get going, school starts soon" wonwoo stood up from his seat on the sofa and walked towards me. his face was cold like always, but he had a hint of a smile on his lips as he reached my side

"what about breakfast?" "you'll eat on the way there" he put his hand up, he was holding a brown bag. "mingyu made a simple breakfast for you" he said

"o-okay"

he put his other hand behind my back and ushered me to move forward towards the door

🌷

"i want to talk to you after school" he said as he started the car, his face was still stone cold. "i know" i whispered as i opened the brown bag with delicious food inside. i had placed my bag on my lap and the brown bag was on top of it

"be careful not to get crumbs everywhere" he said, driving out of the driveway

"okay"

i remembered last night. what he said to me, hearing him sniffle and how he avoided to look at my face. i looked down at the home-made croissant mingyu made for me. "were you crying?" i asked out loud without thinking

"what?" he turned his head to me; his eyebrows were furrowed, and he had a look of surprise on his face. but i he covered it up with a blank face

"no. i didn't cry. i just get emotional when i talk about her" he turned his head back to the road

so, you were crying...

🌷

when he parked the car by the school, he turned off the car and got out with me. "where are you going?" i had a look of confusion as i watched him and grabbed my things, getting the brown bag to discard it at a nearby bin

"i'm only walking you to the entrance" he was at my side in an instant, grabbing my laptop bag from me and holding my hand in his

his actions brought a few hints of pink to my cheeks. none of them have every driven me to school, only that one time when i was a little girl. not even jungkook or bangchan followed me to the entrance. this was a first and i wasn't sure how to react to it

as he walked in front of me, our hands still intertwined, i could feel the stares of people. seeing a handsome unknown man for the first time tends to attract attention from people

"after school, i'll be waiting for you here" he said as we reached the entrance of the school. i nodded at his words and smiled softly

"now, get to class and don't be late" he kissed my forehead and lightly pushed me inside, giving me my bag somewhere along the way

🌷

when i entered my classroom, i could feel some of the girls staring at me. i started getting flashbacks to when i was in seoul. how i was stared at like i was a freak

but i didn't feel like any of them would hurt me. not like how eunjung did. i've never even had an argument with the people in my classes. but since i walked into school with wonwoo, i guess their attention is on me now

but i ignored it. like i always did. i don't enjoy getting peoples attention, because most of the time something bad happens because of it

i sat down on my assigned seat and prayed this day would go by quickly

🌷

the sound of the bell was the only thing i wanted to hear. i've gone from class to class ignoring people and only listening to the professors ramble on about lessons from a book we'll forget in less than a month

and right now, it wasn't any different

my professor was a man in his mid-fifties, he had grey hair and he was a short man with just as short extremities. he was the perverted teacher i dreaded interacting with

~ring~

the bell i was praying to hear had finally sounded. my professor stopped rambling about history

but before i could walk out the door, my professor spoke, "areum, can you stay behind for a moment. i need to speak with you" he said. his scratchy voice making me shudder

i hated his class; i did the bare minimum in it. i didn't want to be anywhere near him

"yes sir" i responded in french

-wonwoo's pov-

i rechecked my phone, rereading the message she sent me. trying to make sure i read it right

i couldn't tell if time was passing more excruciatingly slow than normal, or if she was taking too long. but either way i could feel myself get more anxious with each passing second

i watched as the other students got out of the building, the young girls and a few young men staring at me for a few seconds. i watched as they all got into their cars and left to go to their home or to hang out with their friends

so, i stopped leaning on the wall and made my way inside, asking a young man where room 236 was, on the way. i rushed my way to the room, bumping into a few people on the way

i looked down at my watch, 4:15 pm. it's been twenty-five minutes since the bell rang and she hasn't come yet

i looked at the door in front of me, a label beside it reading 236. i looked inside through the small window on the door. she was standing there, her teacher speaking to her. i let out a sigh of relief as i saw that she was fine, but i could relax, because she looked uncomfortable in his presence

i entered the classroom without knocking, the man turning his head at the sound of the door. he looked like a child that had gotten in trouble because he was doing something he wasn't supposed to

"is there a problem young man?" he spoke to me in french. but i completely ignored him and looked at areum

she had a look of relief on her face. like i was her knight in shining armor. like i was the hero that was going to save her

"are you okay?" i asked her in my native tongue, my facial expressions stern. "what took you so long?" i continued

"he asked me to stay behind, he won't let me leave" she almost whispered back to me

areum and the man were still a few feet away from me, but that distance shortened when i walked to her side, placing my hand on the small of her back

"sir, you can't waltz in here unannounced. who are you? why are you here? you probably can't even understand me, can you?" the man grumbled from his seat. every word he spoke made my blood boil. he spoke to me like he was my superior, like he was talking down to me. like he held all the power

"yes sir, i do understand you" i started, "if you'll excuse us, i'll take my girlfriend and go, because you are making her uncomfortable" i said through gritted teeth in the man's language, enunciating every word so he understood it clearly

i grabbed areum's wrist and walked away before the man even had a chance to respond

we made our way out of the school, my hands wrapped around her wrist

the entire time i spoke to the man, i saw her trembling a little. it was obvious that she was uncomfortable with the old man. i'm glad i reached her when i did

when we reached my car, i let go of her wrist and pulled her into a hug

the way i act around her is very uncharacteristic. i've been known almost my entire life as the cold, hot-tempered man. the one without feelings. the one that only cared about his twelve brothers and would do anything for them. the one that doesn't cry

but when i'm with her, i want to be different. i want to show her what i feel, and i want to see her smile every day. i hated the way i treated her when she was younger, but it was the only way i could show i cared

and then when we left, i felt guilty because of it. i thought, 'i should have treated her better, i should have showed her i cared about her properly'. but it was too late. we had left to protect her and there wasn't a way i could reach out to her

but when we returned, i thought she was going to be the same little girl i knew from years back. but i was wrong. she had grown up to be a beautiful and mature woman

and i fell for her instantly

so, i promised myself i would be better

for her

"i'm sorry i took so long" i whispered as one of my hand was placed at the back of her head, holding her closely to my chest

-areum's pov-

i was thankful he got me out of that situation, but at the same time there are going to be so many consequences because of what he did

and his words, what he said in there, made me feel butterflies inside. he called me his girlfriend... is he crazy?! the next time i have that class, he's going to give me so much homework and he's going to give me crap about how inappropriate that was, when the actual conversation we were having in his classroom was even worse than what wonwoo did

"you probably shouldn't have done that" i said as i pulled away from his hold, "but thank you" i whispered

"what was that man asking you?" he asked me as one of his hands was at my waist and the other was on my cheek. he looked at every part of me, like he was looking for an injury about something. he even stared at my eyes for a few seconds, trying to see what i was feeling

i've never seen him so worried about me

"he..." i hesitated, "he started out by talking about class assignment and how i do that bare minimum" i paused for a second, looking at his expression to see if there was any anger. "and then he was saying something about making it up to him..." i paused again, thinking back to what the old man said

"he's disgusting" i whispered underneath my breath

"but still. you shouldn't have done that" i whined as i pulled away from his hold, my hands going up to my hair, almost pulling the roots at how terrible the situation is. i could feel my heart race increasing and my breaths quickening at the thought of having to go back in there

"areum" he interrupted my nervous breakdown. "it's okay" he reassured me

"no, it's not" i stated back with a stern voice, "do you have any idea-"

"areum, we're leaving paris" he blurted out, completely stopping my train of thought

"what" i watched as he leaned on his black car, just the scene in front of me, making the blood rush to my face, waking it warm against the harsh cold

"we're leaving?" i breathlessly said

"yeah, now get it. you can't stay too long out in the cold" he ordered me as he was already getting into his car

when i opened the door to his automobile, (a/n i've never used the word automobile in my life lol) i was hit with the smell of new car and the warmth of it

we're leaving? 'areum, we're leaving paris' his words repeating in my head, again and again

"w-why" i stuttered, "why are we leaving?" i repeated

he sighed and laid back on his seat, his hands loosely on the steering wheel, the car still not in motion

"because we came back. there's no need for you guys to hide out in paris anymore" he said, staring out at the people walking home from school

"what do you mean 'hide out'. that makes it sound like someone was following us" i made air quotes as i spoke, not fully understanding his words

"you guys only came to live in paris because of what was happening in school and because it was a good excuse to hide your existence better" he explained as he started the car. he ran a hand through his hair as he spoke, occasionally, looking at me to see my reaction. but the only expression on my face was confusion, my eyebrows furrowed as i looked intently at him

"it's best if you're kept a secret" he muttered, "but please, don't worry about it. we have it handled" he gave me a reassuring smile. these occasional smiles he was giving me were something i could get used to seeing

but despite his words, trying to make me not worry, i'm still going to worry. it's part of who i am, sometimes i overthink things and there aren't that many ways of stopping it

but i also didn't want to bother him too much about it. i know he gets annoyed very easily. so, i shut up about it

"o-okay" i sat back on my seat, holding onto the bag i didn't realize i still had on hand

"do you know how to ice skate?" he asked me, a slight smirk on his face

we neared a large building. to say it was large in an understatement. the closer we got the bigger it appeared. i'm sure that from a distance we looked like small ant's compared to the building in front of us

i was left at an awe as i kept looking up and slightly loosing my balance. thankfully wonwoo was holding onto my hand so that i wouldn't stray too far

"it's beautiful" i whispered to myself

i heard a small chuckle beside me. it was a nice sound that came out of him. it sounded deep and joyful. i think this is one of the few times i've ever heard him laugh

"what's so funny?" i pouted. but i couldn't really focus on what he said, my mind went back to what wonwoo said while we were in the car. they have to hide my existence from the world. more specifically, a group of people, i assume

"you look adorable" he smiled at my state

i cleared my throat when i came back to reality, his words pulling me back. my ears turned slightly red at his word, redder than they already were thanks to the cold

"c'mon. let's go inside" he held my hand a little tighter and started walking with me behind him

it's so strange... he's so different from what i remember

we arrived at the front where they gave out people's shoes and a few other things like something to hold onto while skating; they were in the shape of seals. i chuckled at the thought of wonwoo holding onto one of those

wonwoo dealt with the shoe sizes while i walked to the edge of the platform where people could walk normally, there were railings that separated the ice and the regular floor. i watched the people skating. the beginners, the ones that could properly skate and were showing their children how to do it, and the professionals. there weren't too many people, seeing as it is monday, but there were still plenty

there was one man in particular that caught my attention. he was wearing a white shirt with what looked like, black pants. he skated through the rink so gracefully. he looked like was preparing for a performance. but why would he be doing it here?

he had an icy stare as he moved, never loosing focus of what he was doing

i felt wonwoo walk behind me. his presence was something i was usually aware of, but even though i knew he was behind me, i was surprised when he placed a hand on my shoulder

"are you going to watch the people skate all day, or are you going to let me teach you?" he whispered behind me. his words, and the way he said it making me shudder. "yeah" i said, not moving from where i was

🌷

when we both got on the ice, i was more hesitant than i thought i would be. wonwoo go on like it was the easiest thing in the world to him. but i, needed some encouragement

"areum, if you fall, i'll catch you" he said to me, holding out his hand for me to grab. but it was still scary, even if i know he'll be there if i fall

but you only live once i suppose

even if i fall, there aren't that many people here. i won't be too embarrassed

🌷

it was hard at first. i kept losing my balance and flailing around trying to regain it

but eventually i did fall

not once, but four separate times

soon enough though, i started getting the grasp of it. it was still difficult because i've been uncoordinated my entire life, but i was able to skate without having to hold wonwoo's hand

but after a few minutes i fell again

the only difference this time is that was that there was a loud cracking sound when i did

"are you okay?" he rushed to my side

my bum was to the ice and my hands were on either side of my body. "yeah" i said as i looked down at my hands that were on the floor. the cold ice burning my hands

"areum, get up" he pulled me up before i even had the chance to look up at him

and that was the end of me skating

"let's get to the platform" he said to me, holding my hand, not letting my go

i looked up to see his facial expression. it was still cold but there was a hint of worry in it

it nice to see you like this

🌷

i sat down on one of the tables near the rink, so that i could still see the people. wonwoo had gone to get some food for us, it was the afternoon, and i hadn't eaten anything since this morning

"i wish i could skate some more" i whispered to myself, feeling how cold and numb my hands were thanks to the contact they had with the ice when i fell. my bum was sore as well. i fell five different times; it was a wonder i was complaining more about not being able to skate and not about how sore i felt

"why can't you?" someone said behind me. i was surprised someone to be speaking the same language as me; we were in france after all

i turned my head to the unknown voice

it was a boy around my age, he had soft eyes and a very handsome face

"i fell down and wonwoo won't let me" i responded, looking up at the young boy. "oh. then you definitely shouldn't be ice skating" he chuckled. "what's your name?" he extended his hand out to me

"i'm areum" my lips thinned into a line and i grabbed his hand, and he shook it lightly

"i'm jungwon. nice to meet you, areum"

"nice to meet you too" i smiled

the young boy sat down in front of me, looking out at the people skating, just like i was

"you see that guy over there?" he pointed out to someone in the rink

he was pointing at the same man that had gotten my attention when i first arrived here. the same cold stare as before

"yes" i nodded

"that's my hyung" he had the brightest smile as he said that

i chuckled at his reaction and then looking back at the guy that was skating. his movements were elegant and coordinated, like they had been tediously choreographed

i was almost hypnotized by the man's movements, but jungwon drew me out of my thoughts

"his name is park sunghoon. he's my older brother"

"his last name is park?" i chuckled at the eerie coincidence

"that's my last name as well" i chuckled

"say noona, is that man with you?" he pointed behind me. "did you just call me noona?" my eyebrows raised in shock at his choice of honorifics. "you are older than me, aren't you? i was born 2004" he pointed back to his chest

"oh. yeah, i guess. i was born 2003" i responded, still surprised at what he called me. no one's ever called me noona...

"but is that man with you? he keeps glaring in our direction" he pointed again behind me

"who?" i muttered as i turned my head

"oh"

it was wonwoo. he had just received our food and was making his way here. glaring intently at jungwon

that isn't good

"jungwon, you should probably go" i sheepishly said as i turned my head towards him, clasping my hands together under the table

"what?" he chuckled a little

but he didn't realize what i said before wonwoo arrived at our table. the same glare on his face

"who are you?" he said through gritted teeth

"oh, i'm jungwon. nice to meet you" he smiled brightly at the cold man, extending a hand for him to shake

"that's my seat, jungwon" he coldly ignored the younger boy's hand

during their entire interaction, i was fidgeting with my sweaty and cold hands under the table, nervous of how thus would turn out. regretting ever meeting jungwon because i put him in this position

"oh sorry" he smiled and got up from his seat, allowing wonwoo to place the food on the table

but before he left, he whispered something to wonwoo. his eyes went wide at what the younger boy said, and he whispered a reluctant 'thank you' to him

huh?

"it was nice to meet you noona. have a good day" he smiled at me and bid me farewell, walking away towards the rink, probably to tell his hyung that he's leaving

-wonwoo's pov-

he stood up from my seat and whispered something in my ear before he left

"you should be more careful next time. a vampire's girl shouldn't be left unattended. there are countless men staring at her" he whispered in my ear. "you're welcome"

how does he know what i am?

"how do you know i'm a vampire?" i whispered back; my face was full of surprise from our whispered conversation. "because i'm one too" i let out a sigh, reluctantly thanking him. he placed a hand on my shoulder and turned to areum

"it was nice to meet you noona. have a nice day" he smiled brightly at her and walked away

i don't like that guy, but at least he protected areum, right?

-areum's pov-

what was that all about?

i watched as he got back on the rink and talked to the guy name sunghoon. wonwoo drawing my attention from them by speaking. "i thought you knew not to talk to strangers" he growled as he sat down in front of me

"s-sorry" i buttoned up my coat around me, feeling colder now. i had to look away from him, i couldn't take his passive aggressive wrath

"eat" he commanded as he place a plate in front of me. his stare was solely on the food that was in front of him, harshly picking at it with a fork

"i thought y-you wanted to t-talk?" i stuttered out, as i looked down at my food, grabbing the fork and sheepishly eating it

"yeah" he said, "later" he dismissed my question as quickly as he answered it

"what? why?" i started, "you said you wanted to talk. well, now you have a chance, so talk" responded as i slammed my plastic utensils on the table. that very same courage returning, and always in the most peculiar times. when i need it most

he let out a sigh as he looked at me

"fine" he narrowed his eyes at me

maybe i shouldn't have word it like that

but i need an answer, you can't just tell someone something like that and not give them a reason. i may not deserve his love because i'm nothing more than a simple girl that isn't special, but i want to know why

wonwoo stood up from his seat, moving it so that he could seat next to me, the intensity in his eyes never faltering. he reclined back in his seat, crossing his arms, and looking at me

"i love you" he said calmly, "i love you because you're you" he sighed, "that's all i can give you"

my breath hitched. i knew what he was going to say, but i still don't know how to react to it

"how long?" i muttered, fidgeting with my hands again, picking at the sides of my nails

"since we returned" he placed his hand out, grabbing my own from under the table. "don't pick at your nails, they're going to bleed" he said, wrapping his cold hands around mine

"when we returned" he began, "i thought you were going to be the same little girl i adored from a few years back. i never hated you areum" he looked at me for a second, "i want you to understand that" he repeated what he said last night

my breathing quickened and i could feel the pitter patter of my heart through my chest

"i honestly forgot humans aged so quickly" he looked back down at my small hands in his. "you were a woman when i returned. it caught me off guard" he sighed for a moment, thinking about his next words, "and that's when it started. i watched you from afar, the way you moved, the way you spoke to the others. you were so graceful and beautiful. before i knew it, i wanted to stay by your side forever" he looked up at me

the sincerest look in his eyes i've ever seen. he looked at me like i was the person he adored most in the entire world

"wonu" i whispered

"but that's not everything i wanted to talk about" he interrupted me, "we're moving because someone we used to know, he's once of the oldest vampires to exist, wants to meet you" he looked at me, the cold look on his face returning, as if he hadn't just confessed his love to me

"we tried to keep your existence a secret form him as long as we could, but it's inevitable now" there was a hint of worry in his face, it was visible despite him wanting to hide it

"after you meet him, we're leaving paris as soon as possible" he let go of my hand and stood up

"w-what?"

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