Soundtrack: KARA - STEP

 

Morning was here. Some people opened their window curtains to let the morning light shine in, accenting their house with its effervescent shades of yellow and orange. Except one apartment. The curtains were still closed tightly, with the lamps . The inhabitants of the apartment were already awake, one of them currently busy inside their bedroom. His name was Tristan Westbrook and today was his first day of high school.

 

Tristan stood in front of the mirror, trying to fix his uniform tie when someone suddenly appeared behind him, leaning on his bedroom door frame. Tristan glanced away from the mirror and then back to his tie.

 

“Wow… Are you ready to attend high school… again?” The guy snarled with his arms crossed on his chest, observing Tristan’s difficulty to fix his tie.

 

“I’m so thrilled,” Tristan commented shortly as he failed once again to make his tie straight. Within a second, the guy was now holding Tristan’s tie.

 

“It’s like twentieth time you’re attending high school and you still can’t wear your tie properly, Tristan.” The guy remarked sarcastically as he neatly knotted the tie in the blink of an eye.

 

“Stop calling me Tristan. I already choose my Korean name.” Tristan announced after checking his appearance once again in the mirror.

 

The other guy rolled his eyes. “Why don’t you just use your real name? I prefer people calling me Daniel or Dan here.”

 

“Well… Being a vampire is already twisted enough without adding the name Tristan Westbrook. That’s almost impossible for Koreans to pronounce.” Tristan calmly responded.

 

“So, what’s your new name?” Daniel deadpanned.

 

“Kim Taehyung. It sounds nice, doesn't it?” Tristan grinned.

 

“It sounds boring, honestly.” Daniel uttered matter-of-factly.

 

“Yah! I found it inside a book about Korean history.” Tristan exclaimed. “You know Dan, as your caring younger brother, I suggest you change your name too.”

 

“What for? I don’t plan to attend school like you.” Daniel scratched at his ears in boredom.

 

“Then what’s your plan, huh?”

 

“Just traveling around... see what Seoul has to offer. Shopping, spending money, trying bibimbap. I heard it’s a favorite food here.” Daniel nonchalantly answered.

 

Tristan sighed. “Dan, Mom and Dad let us come here to start new lives! Normal ones with humans!”

 

“As if being a vampire is normal…,” Daniel murmured.

 

“At the very least, we can try. Seoul is a better place for us than Kent. I heard some other vampire families also reside here.”

 

“Yeah. Hargraves, Ackerman, Garcia and Ventimiglia.” Daniel frowned at the last family name.

 

“Wait, Ventimiglia? The Italian vampire family is here too? Is that the reason why you choose Seoul?”

 

“Of course not!” Daniel protested hurriedly.

 

Tristan whistled playfully. “First love never dies.”

 

Daniel crinkling his nose in disgust. “It was just a one night stand and after that we moved on.”

 

“Where did you go with the Ventimiglia guy when you hooked up?” Tristan asked curiously.

 

“La Concha Beach in Donostia, Spain. It’s such a beautiful place.” Daniel mused before pouting. “…With the wrong guy.”

 

“Despite your disgusted expression, you still remember all the details.” Tristan teased his older brother.

 

“Oh, shut up.” Daniel waved his hand in annoyance. “You’ll be late if we still keep talking about something so stupid. Don’t forget to wear your Agate stone. Also, there’s still some animal blood inside the fridge. You’ll need it before you go to school.”

 

Tristan nodded and took his bag from  the bedside table. “Okay then. I should go now.”

 

“Bye then. Have fun. Don’t bite random people.” Daniel advised.

 

“Says the one who has less self-control for human blood than me,” Tristan raised an eyebrow.

 

“Hey! I’m pretty good now! That’s why we moved here,” Daniel sighed with a disapproving tone.

 

Tristan let out small laugh and glanced at his older brother before he left the bedroom.

 

”Dan.”

 

“What now, little bro?” Daniel responded lazily while picking up some dirty clothes that were scattered on Tristan’s bedroom floor. “Can you keep your bedroom neat for once?!”

 

“Just some small advice… I think you should attend college. I mean, it’s a better choice than staying here and… grieving about the Ventimiglia guy.” Tristan left before Daniel could even respond.

 

“I’m not grieving over him, for God’s sake!” Daniel whined. But after Tristan left, he thought about his younger brother’s advice.

 

College sounds cool.

 

With that last thought, Daniel Westbrook left Tristan’s bedroom with a pile of dirty clothes and put it in the laundry bin.

***

“Jimin-ah, eat your breakfast first!” Park Jungsoo, Jimin’s father, called to his son from the kitchen.

 

Jimin, who had just finished puting his books inside his bag, hurried with loud steps down to the kitchen.

 

The fragrance of warm pancakes was heavy inside the kitchen. Jimin put his bag on the floor and sat at the dining table.

 

“Smells delicious.” Jimin complimented when Jungsoo came and put a plate of warm pancakes in front of him.

 

“Don’t eat too quickly.” Jungsoo warned, watching his son pour chocolate syrup on his pancakes.

 

“I’ll be late then.” Jimin answered after taking a bite of his pancakes.

 

“It’s not my fault you woke up late. You stayed up all night watching some nonsense television show.” Jungsoo curtly retorted as he sat in front of Jimin.

 

“It’s not nonsense, Dad! Well… yeah, there’s no such thing as magic in the world like there is in the TV show.” Jimin agreed. “But Once Upon a Time has fairytale themes and it’s nice to watch it since I’m Disney trash.”

 

“Right.” Jungsoo relented, watching his son eat with a satisfied smile.

 

“I’m finished. Bye Dad.” Jimin finished his breakfast, took his bag, and brusquely dashed out of the kitchen within seconds.

 

“Don’t forget to say goodbye to your Mom too.” Jungsoo hollered the reminder after his son.

 

“Okay!” Jimin answered obediently as he passed the living room. Jimin walked towards a small table with his mom’s photo on it, lighting some candles and prayed for a few minutes.

 

“Mom, I have to go. See you soon.” Jimin smiled and wave at his mom’s photo before leaving the house.

***

Tristan finally arrived at his new high school fifteen minutes before the bell rang. He met directly with his homeroom teacher, Mr. Cho Kyuhyun.

 

“So your name is Kim Taehyung?” Kyuhyun asked Tristan.

 

“Yes, Sir.” Tristan nodded, trying to get familiar with his Korean name.

 

“And you moved from England?”

 

“Yes. Kent, exactly.”

 

“Okay then, you’ll be in class 3-A. I’m Cho Kyuhyun, the homeroom teacher. You can call me Mr. Cho. I teach physics and that’s your first class. We can go together.”

 

Tristan nodded and followed Kyuhyun quietly towards class.

***

“Seoul is nice, Mom. Better than Kent. Yeah… Tristan entered high school today. No, I don’t know yet but I started thinking about attending college─”

 

Ding dong!

 

Daniel heard the doorbell from outside their apartment. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he returned back to the phone call.

 

“Mom, I’ll call you later, okay? Love you and tell Dad too. Bye.”

 

Daniel put the phone on the couch and walked towards the intercom to see who the visitor was, but something was blocking the screen.

 

Ding dong!

 

The person outside rang the doorbell again.

 

“Yeah, yeah, coming!” Daniel hollered and, without much thought, opened the door.

 

“Who─” Daniel words were cut off when a bouquet of red roses appeared in his vision and were into his arms.

 

When Daniel took the bouquet from the mysterious visitor, their face finally appeared.

 

Daniel gasped in horror at the familiar face. He never thought he would meet with this person again.

 

The person was still as handsome as the last time Daniel met him. His lips formed a goofy yet charming smile, which mesmerized Daniel. Memories from long ago flashed like old movies inside Daniel’s head.

 

“So it is true you’re here. Welcome to Seoul, Daniel Westbrook.” The mysterious visitor said with his deep voice.

 

The voice that made me melt in his embrace. Daniel thought immediately, ashamed of his own feelings.

 

“Adrian Ventimiglia.” Daniel hissed, struggling to even say his name.

 

The man known as Adrian Ventimiglia laughed seductively. “Oh… I really like when you say my name with those pretty lips.”

 

Daniel’s face grew beet red as he gave Adrian a deathly glare. Adrian simply ignored it, locking deep gazes with Daniel and speaking softly.

 

“My name is Park Chanyeol here. So, will you let me in, Dan?”

***

Jimin was almost at his class when somebody suddenly called his name from behind.

 

“Jimin! Park Jimin!”

 

Jimin stopped in his tracks and saw his P.E teacher, Mr. Yoon Doojoon.

 

“Yes, Sir?” Jimin responded, turning to face him properly.

 

“How was your holiday?” Doojoon asked, grinning kindly.

 

“It was nice. Look, Mr. Yoon… The bell is about to ring─” Jimin tried to explain his situation.

 

“I know, I know!” Doojoon snapped hurriedly. “I just want to greet all the soccer club members and remind them that today is the new semester so that means…”

 

Doojoon paused before he finished.

 

“That means?” Jimin repeated nervously when the bell finally rang and he saw Kyuhyun on his way to the 3-A classroom. Jimin’s class.

 

“Are you ready?!” Doojoon exclaimed.

 

“Sir, please! I’m late!” Jimin was now incredibly irritated.

 

“The soccer match is nearing! I hope we can achieve great things! Let’s exercise hard, Jimin-ah! Fighting!” After pumping a powerful fist in the air, Doojoon left Jimin.

 

Jimin bowed then ran with all his might to his class. The door was already closed and Kyuhyun already inside. Jimin panted, gathering all his courage to knock on the door and slide it open slowly.

 

Everyone inside the class stared in Jimin’s direction.

 

Jimin bowed and spoke politely. “I’m sorry for being late, Mr. Cho.”

 

“Where were you, Park Jimin? Why  are you… five minutes late?” Kyuhyun asked after looking at his watch.

 

“I met Mr. Yoon, Sir. He was talking to me about the upcoming soccer match. You can ask him if you don’t believe me. I’m telling the truth!” Jimin explained, defending himself.

 

Kyuhyun smiled knowingly. “Alright, your excuse is accepted. However, as you can see, we have new student. His name is Kim Taehyung.” Kyuhyun gestured towards Tristan.

 

Jimin tilted his head to get better view of the new student. The new student was extremely handsome in Jimin’s opinion. He had brown hair which perfectly framed his oval shaped face. He also had hazel eyes that shone with natural beauty and Jimin couldn't help but stare. His thick eyebrows were serious but friendly at the same time. He had a sharp nose and his lips were slightly parted, showing off rows of white teeth. His skin was pale but glowing. He’s amazingly attractive and only one word could describe him:

 

Perfection.

 

“He just introduced himself and he moved from place starting with the letter ‘K’. All of the students already know and since you’re late, I’ll give you a chance to try to guess it. If your answer is correct, I’ll let you sit.” Kyuhyun grinned widely.

 

Jimin looked at the new student, who merely smiled back at Jimin. Jimin gazed at all of his friends, hoping for some sort of hint. Some of them chuckled quietly and others watched in interest at Jimin’s situation. He finally caught his best friend’s gaze.

 

“No hints, Jung Hoseok, or I’ll make you stand up here instead.” Kyuhyun calmly ordered.

 

Hoseok, one of Jimin’s best friends and his only hope, zipped his mouth instantly.

 

“Okay, Jimin, time’s up. Where is Kim Taehyung from?” Kyuhyun asked.

 

Jimin scratched his head. “Um…. K-Kwangju?” He muttered inaudibly – he couldn’t think of anything besides South Korean cities.

 

“What? I can’t hear you.” Kyuhyun put his hands behind his ears.

 

Jimin exhaled and spoke louder. “Kwangju, Sir.”

 

The class burst into loud laughter after Jimin answered. Jimin bit his lower lip sheepishly, now totally aware Kwangju wasn’t the right answer. He saw the new student laughing from the corner of his eyes as well.

 

Kyuhyun just shook his head, an amused expression on his face.

 

“Sir, please give me another chance. I want to sit!” Jimin begged with his puppy eyes.

 

Kyuhyun beamed at the cuteness of his student. “Alright, alright. What don’t you ask Kim Taehyung where he came from?”

 

Jimin then stared at the new student and asked seriously. “Hi… so where did you come from?”

 

Tristan held back his laughter when he saw Jimin’s serious expression. “I’ll give you a chance to answer again. It’s a place in England.”

 

Jimin gawked, all his classmates were enjoying the show between Jimin and Tristan -- even Kyuhyun.

 

“My geography skills aren’t that good.” Jimin mumbled, clearly unsatisfied.

 

“It’s four letters. The first letter is ‘K’ and the last letter is ‘T’. It’s a county in England. You can find it on the internet,” Tristan offered kindly.

 

“You’re so kind! Mr. Cho, he’s letting me to search on the internet, okay? You can’t call me a cheater!” Jimin told his homeroom teacher as Kyuhyun nodded with a laugh.

 

Jimin took out his phone, searching the keywords Tristan had given him. When the answer appeared, Jimin’s eyes sparkled.

 

“Kent. It’s Kent!” He exclaimed, beaming in happiness when he saw the new student smile and nod.

 

“Good! Now you can sit Park Jimin,” Kyuhyun ordered and turned towards Tristan. “We still have time for you to continue your introduction, Kim Taehyung.”

 

Jimin thanked his homeroom teacher and walked towards the empty chair beside Hoseok. The two best friends high fived. After Jimin sat down, they turned their attention back towards the front of the class.

 

“So, we’ll continue with Taehyung’s introduction.” Kyuhyun announced. “Any questions for him?”

 

Most of the girls raised their hands shyly. Some of them even giggled cutely.

 

“Wow… okay, I’ll choose only three peoples.” Kyuhyun decided, earning groans from the female students.

 

Kyuhyun raised his hands defensively, trying to stop the loud groans. “Yes, Im Nayeon?”

 

“Hi, Taehyung. I’m Nayeon,” One girl with bunny teeth spoke. “What’s the reason you moved here and why did you choose Seoul?”

 

Tristan stole a glance towards Kyuhyun, who signaled it was okay to answer her directly.

 

“Well… because Seoul is beautiful. Especially the girls,” Tristan added playfully, making all the girls blush. All the boys gave him an ‘are-you-serious’ look.

 

Tristan laughed and continued. “My brother and I wanted to live in a new environment. We were kinda bored with Europe so we came here.”

 

“Okay, next… Park Junghwa?”

 

“Hello Taehyung, I’m Junghwa. Nice to meet you. What was it like living in Kent?” A long haired girl sitting in the middle spoke up.

 

“Kent is absolutely beautiful, just like here. But Kent is just a small county, not a big city like Seoul. It has the feeling of the countryside, with solemn and peaceful surroundings. Kent is sometimes known as the ‘Garden of England’ for its abundance of orchards and hop gardens.”

 

“Last one… Kim Namjoo?” Kyuhyun referred to the girl with blunt bangs in the front row.

 

“Hi Taehyung, my name is Kim Namjoo. My question is… do you have girlfriend?” After the question, Namjoo hid her face in embarrassment and all the girls giggled, waiting impatiently for the answer.

 

Without realizing, Jimin also straightened his body to listen closely.

 

Tristan shook his head and flashed a mysterious smile.

 

The class burst into yells once again, with loud cheering from all the girls and groans from the boys.

 

“Okay, enough! Please welcome Kim Taehyung and become good friends.” Kyuhyun announced, gesturing for Tristan to sit. The only empty chair was behind Jimin.

 

Jimin turned around and faced Tristan when he sat down. “Thanks for before -- you know, the Kent thing.”

 

“No problem.” Tristan shrugged, his lips forming a soft smile. “Nice to meet you, Park Jimin.”

 

“Let’s be good friends, Kim Taehyung.” Jimin’s eye-smile appeared as he grinned.

 

Tristan Westbrook nodded. It felt wonderful to start a new day and officially become Kim Taehyung.

***

Author's Notes:

Chapter 1! Thank you tatsuru and Kuud3reBaka for betaing this chapter!♥ Subs, upvotes, and kind comments are really loved!♥♥♥ And yeah Kim Taehyung name will use more start from the next chapter :) Can anyone guess who's the identity of Daniel Westbrook, Taehyung older brother? :p

(New editing by: smugjong♥ Thank you so much for your help!)

- Scarlet -