By the end of their emotional reunion, Seokjin and Seunghyun understood that even though they were happy to be reunited, there were still some things that needed to be said. More apologies were needed, and forgiveness for both parties would one day be granted. Seokjin was happy to be with his family again, but the damage left behind of his prolonged exile was something they would need to work on. For all the love that Seokjin held for his Sire there was a wound of betrayal just as big.

Not long after, Taehyung dabbed a moistened thin cloth along Seokjin's cheeks and cleaning away the remnants of his emotional outburst.

Seokjin smiled his thanks, slipping an errant strand of hair behind his ear and momentarily getting absorbed in the action of gliding his fingers through his hair. It was softer than he remembered it being, even while damp.

The rough cloth that Taehyung had rubbed over Seokjin had gone so far in drying his hair; and though Tae had suggested some sort of apparatus to help it along, Seokjin had refused the moment the thing made a terrifying noise.

Seokjin's eyes traveled over to Seunghyun, and his severe lack of hair. Seokjin hadn't really registered that shockingly new trait of his Sire, having been swept up in the apologies and tears. But now, free to take a breath and study the older vampire, Seokjin was stunned to see that he had overlooked a major change in his Sire.

His hair was… short! Alarmingly so. It was possibly three centimeters in length if Seokjin was to guess. Taehyung had warned Seokjin of the change while he was rubbing the goop into Jin's hair. Tae had done his best to explain to him that over time one's hair wasn't held as sacred anymore. Even though Confucianism was still practiced, it was no longer one of the reigning religions and thus the values which they lived by in the past were no longer upheld by the majority of the population.

After he explained this, Taehyung calmly explained to Seokjin that the hair he had tied up in a minsangtu was not his real hair, but a wig. Taehyung said that just like the hanbok, he was wearing false hair in order to not spook Seokjin upon waking. So when he pulled off the wig, Seokjin could only marvel at the change his brother partook. It was strange to see him that way. One moment with the beautiful long hair that Seokjin knew and remembered and then seeing him a second later with the majority of it gone.

Second-hand shame had come over Seokjin when he looked at his brother. And eventually paranoia had him unconsciously taking his own long hair into his hands, making absolutely sure that it wouldn't prove to be false as well.

Seokjin was feeling that second-hand shame again as he looked at Seunghyun. To cut off ones hair… it was disrespectful, even to vampires. At least, it used to be. According to Taehyung the style was common now and long hair was no longer the norm amongst men anymore. And not only that, but also the practice of Confucianism was also a dwindling religion. Jin was dumbfounded to say the least.

"Seokjin?" Seunghyun pulled him out of his internal musings, "whenever you're ready, the rest of the family would like to meet you."

Jin's eyes went to Taehyung, uncertain. Part of him wanted nothing more than to run to the family he had lost, and the other didn't want to face them quite yet, especially those who had joined the Coven while he was away. What did they think of him? What had they heard? And as for the others, did they still consider him family? Was he still family? For everyone else four hundred years had passed by, perhaps they had moved on or simply forgot about him. The others weren't tied to him by blood the way Taehyung and Seunghyun were. They had no reason to stick by Seokjin, no obligation to look after him.

Taehyung—as if sensing his internal struggle—smiled placatingly. "If you're not ready yet, that's fine. They said they will wait for you to be ready to meet them, Jinnie hyung."

Seokjin nodded absently, biting on his lip as he debated his choice. Though Jin knew that Taehyung wasn't pushing him into meeting the rest of the family, Seokjin still felt an odd pressure to do so. He didn't want to extend his isolation any further, and a part of him reasoned that if he was to adjust to his new life, then he would need to have as much influence of it as he could. And to have that, he needed to socialize.

With his resolution set, Seokjin took a deep breath to calm his bubbling uncertainty.

"I'm ready." Seokjin affirmed and the boxy smile he received in return proved to be a grand boost of encouragement.

"This way then," Seunghyun spoke softly and opened the door, leading back to the labyrinth that was to be Seokjin's new home.

Seokjin trailed after Seunghyun while sticking closely to Taehyung's side.

Seokjin had hoped that a second trip into the unknown of the mansion would be easier to navigate, but he quickly found that it was just as bewildering and intimidating as the first. He couldn't help but shy away from the light of the captured suns, always making sure that he wasn't under their direct light. And when they came upon the first window in the narrow hallway, Seokjin stopped.

His eyes widened as he gazed past the transparent film of glass and out into the new world. If he hadn't believed Taehyung's tale of time continuing on without him before, he definitely did now.

Everything outside was different. Seokjin wasn't even looking at the world that he knew anymore. He was looking at something foreign and alien. For starters the ground was a good four meters below, and the grass was… it was still green, but it had lost its authenticity in a way. Where it was once free to grow and stick out at odd and varying lengths, it was now so evenly cut. The trees as well had lost their organic feel… Seokjin remembered the trees being able to grow as they pleased, they were trees after all, the only reason they stopped growing was if they were cut down. But these trees weren't cut down, they were tamed. And beyond that lay the most disquieting sight he had seen yet. The vast sea of stars that he had known in his life were robbed from the very sky itself and grounded.

Seokjin stood with his mouth dropped wide as he failed to grasp what he was seeing. It should be impossible to collect the stars above and to hoard them down here. Surely it was a crime to nature to do such a thing. The end of the world might be upon them for this treacherous act. And perhaps that was why he was resurrected. Seokjin was brought back to witness the imminent doom of humanity.

"They're lights, hyung." Taehyung interrupted Seokjin's internal turmoil. "Like oil lamps but ones that don't need oil and don't die off so easily. The city is prettier to look at up close, I can take you down there sometime."

Jin stepped back from the window, but gave no reply to Taehyung's suggestion. He didn't want to see the city, not yet. He wasn't ready.

Taehyung didn't push the matter and instead laced his fingers with Jin's, changing the subject. "The city of lights can wait though. Why don't we get through today's introductions first? The others are so excited to meet you! And, they know they shouldn't come on too strong, so don't worry okay?"

Seokjin tried at a smile, nodding along. He wanted to be excited for Taehyung's sake. And in a way he was eager to meet them as well, but the sense of insecurity and not knowing what to expect of the outcome was all but unnerving.

Perhaps Jin wouldn't be so hesitant to meet them if he didn't know that they had all heard of him in one way or another. Maybe they hadn't directly seen him, but surely must have heard something about what had happened to him in one way or another. And due to that, the others probably already had preconceptions of him while Seokjin, on the other hand, had nothing to go by except the names Taehyung fired in his direction.

Seokjin didn't feel in any way ready to face the rest of the Coven, but he also knew that the underlying sense of nervousness and apprehension over it would just get worse over time. Couple that up with the fact that Seokjin couldn't run away and hide even if he wanted to— because he was extremely unfamiliar with the layout of the building. Thus his only option was to follow his Sire and brother and hope that he could make a good impression or improve the one they already held of him.

"You're worrying, stop it." Taehyung chided gently, drawing Seokjin out of his thoughts and smiling encouragingly. "They'll love you."

Seokjin offered a noncommittal sound of agreement and resigned himself to the fate that awaited him at the end of their road.

Another flight of stairs, a left, two rights, a long corridor, and a right later Seokjin was guided to a set of large doors. He couldn't help but take note that these ornate walls were much more intricately decorated than those of the last ruling emperor. Not only that, but the sheer size of the household was large, Seokjin had seen—from afar—what an Emperors estate had looked like, and the size of what he had seen back then paled to what he was witnessing in this new layout.

Though he knew that Tae said there was no longer an emperor to rule the populace, had the Coven elevated in social status regardless? It certainly would explain why everything he had seen from the grandesque stature of everything down to the expensive quality of items placed around the house. Jin was pretty sure he saw more than one celadon porcelain vase on his way to where he was now.

"Jin?" Seunghyun called him out of his thoughts again and when Seokjin blinked at him, the older vampire smiled warmly and pushed the wide doors open.

The doors made little to no sound as they parted easily, revealing a lavishly furnished room where ten vampires sat in… what exactly were those things? Seokjin could feel his forehead creasing in thought as he looked at the large pieces of furniture that the others were either leaning against or sitting upon. They resembled elevated chairs in a way, but they definitely weren't the type of chairs Jin was used to seeing.

"Hyung?" Tae touched Seokjin's shoulder, effectively bringing him out of his thoughts once more. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Sorry." Seokjin murmured setting aside the questions that arose in the back of his mind. Everything would be explained to him, he knew this. Taehyung had promised to clarify everything Jin didn't know and to demonstrate what things were to him as they presented themselves.

You'll be able to blend into this time perfectly in time, hyung. Taehyung had promised. Seokjin knew he was supposed to find solace in that thought, but the truth of the matter was that he was intimidated by all of the knowledge and newness around him, and the fact that he didn't immediately get seemingly simple matters was disheartening.

There were a few things that seemed similar to Seokjin, but he really couldn't be sure if it was just wistful thinking on his end, or if he was right in assuming so.

"Seokjin-ah," a voice that wasn't Seunghyun's broke through Seokjin's thoughts and immediately drew him back to the room before him—Seokjin belatedly realizing that the idle chatter within the room had died off.

"Jiyong hyung," the name of his other parental figure fell from his lips before Jin could even set his eyes on the smiling face.

"Hey Jinnie, good to see you up again." a different voice rose from Jiyong's side.

Seokjin followed the comment to a slightly familiar face, his eyes narrowing until the facial features clicked into place and a name was produced. "Youngbae hyung?"

"Bingo!" the man exclaimed, though his grin quickly lost some of its brightness when he caught the look of confusion that flitted across Seokjin's features.

"I mean yes, I'm sorry I didn't mean to throw you off with that," Youngbae smiled apologetically, running a hand through the top of his not only short but shockingly golden white hair.

Seokjin's confusion grew once more, thrown off not only by the language but also the change in Youngbae and Jiyong. The last time he had seen the other vampires they both had had a full head of dark brown hair tied up in the minsangtu style, but now it wasn't even short it was… "What happened to your hair?"

Youngbae blinked for a moment, and then a sheepish smile took the place of his previous one. However, it was Jiyong who answered the question for Youngbae. "Time finally caught up with his hair and turned it white, a tragedy really."

Seunghyun, like the rest of the room, chuckled at the response. "If that were true, neither you nor I would have any hair left." Seunghyun quipped back and eased away from the two brothers to join Jiyong and Youngbae. "He's jesting Seokjin-ah. Youngbae decided some time ago that he no longer wanted to have brown hair so he altered it. With the aid of certain chemicals… think of them like a tonic, he was able to lighten up his hair until it reached this state. The process has become quite common these days; it's referred to as bleaching. We were originally going to dye it back, but after so many treatments we didn't want to risk his hair breaking off."

"He just decided… people are altering themselves?" Seokjin was bewildered, never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that such a thing was possible. And if it was possible to alter and change the color of one's hair, what else could people do?

"Does the bleaching affect their skin as well? And to what extent are people able to change themselves?"

"In a way? And you'd be surprised Jinnie," Jiyong answered for Seunghyun, though the older vampire didn't seemed to be bothered by it, instead he beckoned Seokjin to step further into the room.

"We'll discuss that topic more in time, along with any other questions you might have later on." Jiyong concluded, "Why don't you come in and meet the rest of the family?."

Seunghyun and Youngbae smiled encouragingly on either side of Jiyong and Taehyung gently squeezed the hand he was still holding, silently offering his support.

After a moment of hesitance Seokjin moved into the room, sticking closely to Taehyung and unashamedly hiding slightly behind his younger brother.

Jiyong smiled encouragingly and stood up from his seat, taking a stand at the front of the room and facing everyone. "Right. So, as you have all been informed prior to this meeting. We would be welcoming back a member of our Coven who has been away for some time. I am aware that very few of us present here have actually seen him as he is one of the members of our original Coven. Just as I know that you have all heard of him in one way or another, and while I wish I could say that some of the tales are false. I'm afraid there is always a grain of truth in the rumors.

"Kim Seokjin is, as you have heard, a glutton vampire. His hunger is beyond what you and I will ever feel. There were some things in the past that don't have to be and won't be rehashed that required Seokjin to be away for a while. The reason he was placed under has long since been forgiven and is inconsequential to what we are now, the actions of his past do not define him. Thus, I ask all of you to take those preconceptions and assumptions you have heard of him and throw them away. I will not tolerate any ill will being inflicted in his direction, am I making myself clear?"

A round of affirmatives rang out from the group.

Jiyong made sure to lock eyes with everyone in the room, as if making absolutely sure that he was, in fact, being crystal clear. "Good. Thank you. Seokjin is and always will be family. I am entrusting all of you to help him through the transition of time. His last memory was from the Joseon Dynasty during the Manchu Invasions. So as you can imagine, his knowledge of all modern comforts, customs, language, and inventions as simple as a couch or say a pair of boxer shorts are foreign to him. Please have patience with him, answer any questions you are comfortable explaining and," Jiyong turned to Seokjin, his expression softening. "Please take care of him as you would anyone else here."

His speech was then directed towards Jin, "I have to apologize, Seokjin-ah, but until you have adjusted substantially to this time period, I'm going to have to enforce a few rules. The first and most crucial one is that we have to limit your outings. If you need to leave the mansion for any reason at all, you will need to clear it with me and an will be assigned to you. Taehyung, Seunghyun hyung, Youngbae, or I will be the ones to look after you. The others are encouraged to accompany the outings, but will not bear the responsibility of looking after you since they have no experience in dealing with the hunger that you possess. And that brings me to the second thing: your hunger."

Seokjin swallowed hard. He could feel the tips of his ears reddening with both guilt and shame, but he forced his eyes to remain on Jiyong as he listened and committed to memory the new rules being placed on him.

"I believe we have found a solution to your hunger. Taehyung will fill you in after this meeting is over, but the previous rule will stand until we are certain that we won't have to worry about finding drained corpses on the street. Times have changed, and society is not as blind to our kind as they once were. When a person goes missing it takes less than an hour at times for people to notice their absence. And by the time 12 hours have passed authorities are called. By 24 hours there are search parties being organized and mobilized. I'm not saying it's impossible to lose people, I'm just saying that it has become more troublesome for our kind. So it would be greatly appreciated if we didn't invite danger to our door... I'm sorry, am I rushing this?"

It took Seokjin a moment to figure out that the question was being directed at him, and again his ears burned red, he was even half tempted into ducking down behind Taehyung's shoulder.

Seokjin his lips nervously, "No, no. I understand, and I know that I am severely out of my depths with the time change. But, I will do my best to learn everything I can as quickly as I can and to not be a burden to any of you." Seokjin bowed his head to the group—his family.

Jiyong smiled, offering a small nod before continuing. "Other than those two rules, you are free to roam the house and the outside walls, but please remain within the mansion's borders. There is a small expanse of woodland to our East, don't wander too deep into it. Aside from that, that's the basic gist of it. I do need you to understand that the other reason I caution you against draining and heading out by yourself is because of the Hunter Organization. As you are aware, Jinnie, Hunters have been around as long as we as a species have. But in recent years their numbers have started growing. The past few centuries have been kind to them and brutal to our kind. Over the past few centuries they made it near impossible to live in the Northern part of Korea, and I'm afraid they have no intention of stopping and will be heading South.

"We have stayed out of their radar for a great amount of time, but other Covens have not been as lucky. The Hunters have struck close to Seoul lately, and we wouldn't want to give them any reason to venture into the city looking for us. As it stands, we have received a couple of requests to aid some survivors of a few Covens that have been attacked by Hunters. So, I have decided that we need to form a united front. Others will be joining our house soon. I do not know if we will take the fight to the Hunters yet, but I will let you all know when a decision is made. But until then, do not let the threat of those monsters deter you from enjoying yourself, Jin-ah. I just wanted you to be aware of why the rules are so important. Do you understand?"

Seokjin did, but he also didn't. It was a pretty easy concept to understand in its core. Vampire Hunters had always been around, ever since Seokjin could remember. The Coven had either escaped the clutches of a Hunter or struck one down back in the Joseon Dynasty. And now they were coming back as a more menacing force than before. The thought was terrifying, but what Seokjin did not understand was why the Hunters had been allowed to get so powerful. Furthermore, how were Coven's being discovered? Were they not trying to hide from the Hunters?

"I believe I do," Seokjin ventured. Perhaps his Sire's reasoning would be made clear in time.

Jiyong smiled knowingly, "It's a lot to take in, and a lot to ask of you. I want you to be aware of our situation, but don't worry yourself into an early grave over it alright?"

There was a chorus of groans around the room, but Seokjin found himself smiling at the joke, some of the tension leaving his body.

"Now onto the more important and fun part," Jiyong clapped his hands, effectively diffusing the sombre tone of the room. "Seokjin-ah please come and meet your new siblings. I haven't Sired all of them, a few of them just found their way here and well," the man shrugged a shoulder, "I couldn't just turn these babies away, just look at how cute they are."

A few members groaned, and Taehyung took that as his cue to lead Seokjin further into the room.

Seokjin swallowed the lump of anxiety that was threatening to steal away his voice and smiled shyly to the set of faces he was unfamiliar with. "Hello, I know Jiyong hyung already introduced me… but I am Kim Seokjin… Taehyung's older brother, and Sired by Seunghyun hyung, I am happy to meet you all.

"Good job, hyung." Taehyung whispered to him, a boxy smile in place.

The other members all said their hellos in return, and began to introduce themselves one by one.

The first one was a young woman who looked physically older than Seokjin though not by much, possibly a few years, five at most. Her face was lovely and kind, and her eyes warm and inviting as was her smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Kim Seokjin, my name is Min Hyorin, my Sire was killed by Hunters long before I joined this Coven. Youngbae and I married a few centuries back. It was unfortunate that we couldn't share that moment with you, and I would like to apologize for that. But I look forward to creating new memories with you."

After Seokjin murmured his hello and likewise sentimed, the man to her left cleared his throat, offering a smile to Jin too. Seokjin wondered how the other could see him through the curtain of hair that fell over his eyes, but he swallowed back the question, storing it for later when he was alone with Taehyung. "Kang Daesung, Jiyong's Descendant, welcome to the present, let me know if you need any help with anything. Especially any first aid stuff, I'm the head of medical care in the Coven."

Seokjin was given no time to reply before the next person spoke. Four girls sat huddled in one of the large plush looking chair things Seokjin had no name for.

The girl was small and appeared to be younger than Taehyung, her cheeks still round with youth and kind face smiling at Seokjin. "Hello Seokjin-shii, I am Kim Jisoo, I and the other girls share a Sire whom we don't associate with anymore due to a few reasons. Jiyong-sshi was kind enough to offer us a home when we first arrived, and later gave us a family. I look forward to getting to know you."

Next to her was an even younger looking girl with the longest hair that Seokjin had ever seen on a woman. In fact, it hadn't struck him until that moment that none of the people around him were wearing anything familiar and… was it socially acceptable for people to reveal that much skin? As well as to have their hair so loose? Seokjin wasn't the most traditional man that had ever existed, but he had to admit that he was finding it hard not to shift his eyes away, surely displaying this much skin was immodest, even by familial standards.

Still, he heard her introduction and Seokjin was able to catch the lovely girl's name. Jennie Kim.

Next to her was another lovely girl who had a very interesting tone to her voice. Her smile was sweet if not a little shy as she introduced herself, "My name is Park Chaeyoung, no relation to Jimin oppa."

"Lalisa Monoban." the last of the girls said, a more confident smile on her features.

Seokjin barely managed a nod towards the quartet before someone else was vying for his attention.

"Hyung!" a young boy who appeared to be no older than Taehyung suddenly materialized within Seokjin's line of vision and smiled brightly. "It's so great to finally meet you! TaeTae has told me so much about you. All good things I promise, he was so happy to have you back and because of that I'm happy you're back too. I am Park Jimin, Chaeyoung-ah is right, we aren't human siblings and technically not vampire siblings either, my Sire is unknown. But we're siblings through the Coven, just like you, me, and Tae."

Seokjin was astonished, the young boy spoke to him as if they had known each other intimately for years instead of meeting for the very first time. It was a little off-putting, but not at all uninvited. Seokjin was warmed by this and smiled to the boy. "I'm happy as well, thank you Jimin-ah."

The boy nodded happily, "Of course! I've been dying to meet you for, like, ever! Well okay, maybe not really dying, and not for ever, but you know?"

Seokjin really didn't know, but he nodded all the same. Which appeared to be the right answer, because the young boy with the bright smile—Jimin, Seokjin needed to make an effort to remember everyone's names—nodded in approval.

The last of the members walked up to them and stood beside Jimin, offering a hand towards Seokjin. Jin couldn't help but notice that he looked particularly sleepy, but even so his smile was genuine. "I am Min Yoongi, Descendant of Jiyong. Welcome home."