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Hero's Soup
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Toiletries, snacks, ice cream, juice boxes, and more. Felix struggled on pushing the cart towards Chan who was busy going through multiple scented candles. "Oi, Hyunjin. Hurry up with that." Felix spun his head around, calling over Hyunjin who was pushing yet another cart full of 'gifts'.

"Chan, we're just picking out a house-warming gift, not preparing for an apocalypse." Felix frowned perplexedly; the vampire didn't even give him a glance.

Felix's face lit up in expectation as Chan turned to him, two different colored candles on each hand, Chan holding up one hand after the other, "Vanilla or Rose?". Felix huffed out air from his cheeks, almost snarling at the man. "Seriously? Didn't you hear what I just said?" Chan turned back to the shelf, crouching down to get a whole box. He stood up and gingerly walked towards Felix, placing the new content gently atop the mountain of items. "Jeongin likes the smell of vanilla." He smiles shyly, engrossed by the thought of Jeongin's face smelling the scented candles.

Felix paused, stunned and comprehending. He cannot believe Chan just ignored him like that, again! Felix furrowed his eyebrows, lips hardening as he tried hard not to square up on his friend. He knows the vampire is way more powerful than him, but he'd risk his life just to get the man to listen to him. "Mate, will you please just listen to me."

"Let's pay for it then." Chan looks up to him, giving him a smile. He turns around and calls out to Hyunjin. Hyunjin walks by Felix, putting a hand on his shoulder. Felix sighs, looking up to him. "Hang in there, Lix." he gives up. His heavy steps echoed slightly as he forced himself to follow the two. "Can we get something to eat after this? I'm starving." Hyunjin whined, handing the last bag of chips to Chan.

"We can eat at home. We have too much food." Hyunjin pursed his lips, glaring at Chan as he hugs Felix from behind. "But I want pasta." widening his eyes, Felix shot Chan a meaningful glance. "Pasta sounds good, mate." Chan rolls his eyes, sighing as he hands his card at the cashier. "Lix, your accent comes out whenever you're excited or mad. And that's not a good sign."

Throwing his hands in the air as a sign of defeat. "Alright! But we must be quick. I'm visiting Jeongin's at around 5PM." The two kids jumped in glee, prancing their way out even with a bagful of groceries on each arm. Chan shakes his head, looking at the cashier apologetically as she hands him his card.

"Sorry about those idiots." The cashier's cheeks turned crimson, her fingers brushing against the fine man's cold ones, making her heart race more than ever. Chan smiles at her, showcasing his dimples at the already flustered employee.

-

A pair of feet stood frozen in front of a stone path. Chan fidgeted uncontrollably, thinking if vampires could sweat, he would be standing in a pool of his own. Mustering up his courage, he took the last remaining steps, halting in front of the door. Chan's eyes scanned the place.

The house was a series of rectangles constructed of steel and glass. It was unapologetically modern. It stood amidst the manicured lawn as if it was placed neatly atop of it. The roof was flat and there was no visible chimney, not that people use chimneys in the city. The front door was made of what seemed to be ivory, on the contrary, it blended well with the modern design of the house. You can tell that it has been there for quite a while, considering a few cracks and faded paint on the walls. He pressed the doorbell once, shoving his hand back in his pocket.

Hearing the faint sound of people talking stop, Chan straightens up.

The door swings open, revealing a middle-aged woman, smiling from ear to ear. Chan almost took a step back, realizing she looked so much like Jeongin. "You must be Chan?" he floundered, almost folding his body in half as he bowed. "Hello, Ma'am! My n-name is Bang Chan, I'm from the antique shop across the street," feeling a warm hand on his left shoulder, Chan looks up. If he was capable of blushing, we would probably be a red-hot mess right that moment.

"I know, sweetheart." Jeongin's mom's smile was so loving, he found himself mirroring back the action. "Now, come inside. It's cold!" Chan nodded, feeling relieved she invited him inside.

As soon as he stepped inside, his eyes wandered around the hallway. He was a bit jealous of Seungmin who came to this house on multiple occasions, but he still felt thankful for the witch. He visited the place, well not really, more like disguised himself as a repairman, to 'fix' the 'broken' sink. His purpose was to undo the spell that took him quite a while. The sink? It was his magic that 'broke' it, so he fixed that up within a second.

The house was welcoming from the open door to the wide hallway. Upon the walls were the photographs of children, so obviously loved. The floor was an old-fashioned wooden floor with a blend of deep homely browns and the walls were cream colored, meeting a bold white baseboard.

On his right was a white banister, with a few light scratches on it, stairs leading to the 2nd floor. As he reached the end of the hallway, his eyes scattered around the spacious living room. A leather sofa set neatly lined up at the center. "Honey, our guest is here." Chan panicked, realizing he just went over Jeongin's father. Once again, he bowed, apologizing for his ignorance. "It's alright. Don't worry." Chan was so amazed at how nice and warm Jeongin’s parents were. He can't help but smile upon realizing Jeongin was so much like him.

He sat down across Jeongin's dad, tapping his fingers on his knees. Jeongin's mom went back to the kitchen. "Chan, was it?" Chan looked up to his smiling figure, "Yes, Sir." Mr. Yang chuckled. "Just call me Uncle." the vampire nodded, feeling his dead organs almost coming back to life. "Did you live overseas, Chan?"

"Yes, I grew up in Australia and moved here around 8 years ago." it wasn't completely a lie but lying to such nice people felt so bad. He hasn't felt that guilt ever since he was a kid. "8 years? That's why your Korean is flawless." Chan thanked him. "But you look young. Did you come here alone 8 years ago?" Chan almost frowned, seeing his face filled with worry. "Yes, I really wanted to live here even since I was small. And the only option was moving here alone to study."

"What a brave kid. Do your parents visit you here?" Chan's smile abruptly faltered, he looked outside the window, sighing as he faced him with a sad smile. "They used to." Chan's eyes fell on the floor, that was not a lie at all. He looked up feeling a hand on his shoulder, pretending to act surprised even though he knew the man was walking to his side. Chan’s smile regained its shine as he saw his fatherly one.

Chan was alarmed, he started to panic, thinking he said or did something that would offend them. But he was relieved after the man continued, "You can call us Uncle and Auntie if you want. You're always welcome to our family, okay?" as he pats him once again, he turns his back and heads towards the kitchen. Chan couldn't help but smile. At first, he thought Jeongin was the nicest, warmest person he had ever met. But his family was something else.

The vampire's heightened senses heard the door swing open and close with a soft thud. Resting his elbows on both his knees, Chan gathered his hands together, he was expecting a kid. A grade-school student or something like that. The heartbeat softly drumming in his ears was faster than an adults'.

"I'm home!"

"Who are you?"

"Hello there, I'm Chan. I'm a friend of your brother’s."

He smiled softly, standing up. The kid eyed him suspiciously. Chan almost burst into a fit of laughter, it was like he was seeing a 10-year-old Jeongin. Their eyes are carbon copies of each other's. "Which brother?”

“Jeongin.”

“You mean that loser has friends?" the kid snickered, bowing his head respectively before sauntering up the stairs, Chan followed his small figure until it vanished.

He sat back down, pulling out his phone from his pocket.

To: Woojin

17:34

Are you home?

 

From: Woojin

17:36

Yep. The puppies are all here

except for Jisung, he said

he's finishing something at the

Studio.

 

To: Woojin

17:37

Alright. How 'bout the others?

 

From: Woojin

17:38

Seungmin's in the basement (as usual). I was supposed to be delivering Jisung his dinner, but Minho volunteered haha.

And, Felix is playing with the wolves.

Chan frowned, he's lowkey praying that Seungmin not blow up the mansion any time soon. It's been 2 months since he moved in with them at the mansion. It was a hard bargain, Woojin had to hire someone to clean the gigantic basement just for Seungmin.

It took 15 people to finish cleaning up the place. Chan was impressed that Woojin really wanted the witch to live with them that much. The only benefit they would get from letting Seungmin move in was that the whole mansion became spotless in just a span of a day. He was a ing clean freak. A bit controlling but otherwise okay.

Woojin even hired a professional interior designer for the basement. Of course, that person was a supernatural being too. She had been hired by high-class witches and other beings before. A basement never looked so classier. It didn't look like a witch's den at all. By the way, don't mention that in front of Seungmin or else he would hex you. Jisung had thorns growing out of his back, he had to wear 3 layers of clothing for 2 weeks.

The basement also has a built-in room, so he has a place to sleep whenever he feels like it. But he also has a separate bedroom on the second floor, beside Jeongin's of course.

Felix choked after he saw the bill on how much everything costs. And he almost fainted upon knowing that Woojin paid almost half of it for his renovated room when he moved in. Money wasn't really a big issue for them, but Felix felt so bad for having them spend that much on them, and well, he cried when Woojin told him he's basically family and that he loves every one of them equally. Minho acted cool but he was also tearing up at the side.

Chan sent Woojin one last text, informing him that he's at Jeongin's and will probably be home late. He slid his phone back into his pocket, scanning the living room once more. He can't help but smirk, Woojin has his way of manipulating people. With good intentions of course. Generally, he's a really warm and loving person, the sole reason why Chan helped him and the rest of his pack a few centuries back.

Chan’s attention was taken away by a frantic pair of feet stumbling down the stairs. A disheveled Jeongin tripped and fell on the last 3 steps, he didn't really want to get up from bed. But when his little brother, who was bashing his door, said something about a pale as , blonde man waiting for him downstairs. Jeongin left his soul on his bed.

Out of instinct Chan was up to his feet right in front of him. The boy's eyes widened, hurriedly getting back on his feet. "Chan! You can't use your powers here!" he floundered, failing to keep his balance as Chann held him by his elbow. Powers? He's not a superhero.

"What happened? Did you fall down the stairs?" his Dad appeared from the kitchen, slowly trailing towards their direction, he let out an embarrassed laugh, eyeing Chan quietly. Hoping his Dad won't notice Chan's sudden appearance at his side.

"That's not the issue here! Why didn't any of you guys tell me that Chan was here?" he turns to the vampire, pointing at him while pouting like a kid, "And you! Don't laugh! Why didn't you call me? Or even text me? H-Hey! Dad, why are you laughing? B-BOTH OF YOU ARE SUCH MEANIES! Mooom!"

Jeongin shoves them both lightly as he passes through, heading to the kitchen, his Dad cackles loudly as both him and Chan make eye contact with each other. 'Humans are weird' Chan thought. As they slowly regain composure, lance comes out of the kitchen with a pout on his lips. "We're sorry." both said in unison, his Dad heads upstairs, saying he's gonna call Jeongin's younger brother for dinner.

"Chan, sweetie."

"Will you be joining us for dinner, or do you have any plans to go out?'' Before Chan could get a chance to mutter a word, Jeongin's hand was pressed firmly against his mouth. "We're gonna go out, right Chan?" The vampire could feel Jeongin's intense gaze even though his back was turned against him. With a little bit of his strength, he pulled the boy's hand off his mouth.

"Dinner sounds great, Auntie." she chuckles softly at the boys.

"Alright. Let me set up the table then."

"I can help you with that." the same pair of dark brown eyes ordered him to a stop. "No. Just relax here." Chan fumbled, taking a step towards his previous seat, picking up multiple bags. "These are from me and my family." Jeongin's mouth went agape as his eyes focused on the number of gifts the vampire was handing over. "Dear lord! This is too much!" Jeongin couldn't agree more with what his mom had exclaimed.

Scratching his nape, Chan smiled meekly. "I didn't know what to give."

"So, you decided to buy the whole store?" Chan coul

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Oke_DDaeng
#1
Subscribed immediately after I read the foreword hehe
hearteulove #2
hey, im back! so happy to receive your notifications!!!
Sheeska #3
Chapter 8: This kind of tear me up , it's sad that jeongin jas no friend
But now they all find each other, truly love this chapter cannot wait to read more :)
hearteulove #4
please update soon T.T
Naomiie18 #5
Chapter 1: Ok. One chapter in, and there's no going back! Such a good introduction!!! I can't wait to read the next chapter (and that is exactly what I'm going to do next hihi). It is very well written and it is incredibly promising. I already love this!
Sheeska #6
Chapter 7: Love it,
I like how you reveal a littlw bit in each chapter
I trully csnnot wait to read more
Thank you so much for your hard work
Cannot wait to see chan and jongin interaction :)
Sheeska #7
Chapter 6: Cannot wait to read more, seriously this is so good
mj_pa13
#8
Chapter 1: I'm already hooked on your story. This is great! <3