[A/N: My apologies for updating after a month. I'm really sorry. I hope you guys can be more patient this time. :) Thanks for reading and subbing. I lub you all!!! <3 All credits goes to Bryan again for the awesome edits. :) ]

“It’s none of your business.” Seohyun replied as she walked on, while Jaejoong followed her with hands in his pockets.

“The thing is, I'm sure you’re aware that I was once a citizen of SM Town,” He said coolly. “And I'm dead sure that it's still not the norm for vampires to be spending the night in a human city.”

“Aren’t you going to stop stalking me?!” Seohyun stopped in her tracks and faced Jaejoong.

“Now, there you go accusing me of stalking you again,” raising his hands as a sign of innocence. Sighing, he continued. “Vampires are sent to spend nights in the city as a form of punishment. I might have left that town of yours a long time ago, but its basic rules are still etched in the back of my head,” he said, gently gesturing to his head as he did.

Seohyun avoided his gaze and continued walking with Jaejoong silently following behind, wondering what Seohyun might have done to warrant in the city. Seohyun frowned at the thought of her sisters even if it was only a day of not returning home. She knew she was too used to living with them every single day of her life that it affected her so much just to be apart from them.

She was about to hail a cab when Jaejoong held her back. “I’m not leaving my car back there.” She cocked her head.

“Let’s take my car instead of having you ride a cab.”

Seohyun chuckled mockingly, “You’re expecting me to come with you?”

Jaejoong tightened his grip on Seohyun’s wrist and smirked, “I don't expect so, but I’m forcing you to.”

“KIM JAEJOONG!!!” Seohyun rubbed her temple in frustration. The next thing she knew, she was sitting beside Jaejoong inside his luxurious sports car.

With the roof of his convertible retracted, Jaejoong drove off, with the wind breezing through his hair. Turning to Seohyun he then said, “Sometimes you just need to believe me when I say I don't mean any harm.”

Seohyun sighed, “Fine, I believe you. So will you let me go now? Stop stalking me or loitering around the city.”

“I’m not buying what you said.” Jaejoong smirked. “Tell me what you did.”

“I am not telling you.” Seohyun crossed her arms. “Besides, it’s none of your business.”

“Either way, if you are here, Yunho must have caught you breaking rules then?”

Seohyun’s eyebrows furrowed, “I said I won’t tell. So please, just shut your mouth.”

“That brother of mine, I wonder if he misses me.” Jaejoong sighed as he muttered, “Yunho rarely punishes anyone, even if they break a rule; he’s just that kind a being. For him to send you to the city for a week, no less, means you probably made a pretty grave error in your judgment didn’t you?”

“Don’t you get it? I said I’m not telling you! I had a simple mistake so I’m staying in the city for a week. And I had no plans of seeing you in those seven days!” Seohyun looked at Jaejoong who just smirked.

“Well, seems like you will need to change your plans now.” Jaejoong smiled at Seohyun who looked away. He pulled the car aside. Seohyun quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and got down from the car. But Jaejoong was just as fast to stop her from running away. “Not so fast.”

“YAH! Kim Jaejoong, just where in the world are you taking me?!” Seohyun tried her best to free her wrist from Jaejoong’s grip but failed miserably as he literally dragging her through the streets.

“You will find out soon enough,” Jaejoong responded coolly as he finally stopped in his tracks and looked around. His eyes lit up when he finally saw the place he was looking for. Once more, he dragged Seohyun along with him towards a familiar looking coffee house. As soon as they entered the cozy coffee shop, Seohyun’s nose cringed at the stinging scent of coffee.

Jaejoong nodded at the waiters present and they slightly bowed at him. “What? You own this coffee house?” Seohyun asked while still trying to pull her wrist from Jaejoong’s grip.

Seohyun had only been here on one other occasion; to receive the mission that marked the cause of all her recent troubles. Just awhile back, she was here to meet up with her client, to take on a supposedly simple and routine job. Instead of being simple, it was anything but. She was now tasked with breaking the heart of another fellow vampire; technically Kris wasn’t a vampire, but an angel cursed with a heart of stone. He was the reason why she had been sentenced to a week of confinement in the city and if it weren’t for that, she’d probably be comfortably in the presences of her sisters instead of being dragged around town with Jaejoong.

“You could say that,” He casually answered as they headed towards the counter. “Hey, Doojoon!”

The guy from the counter removed his apron and greeted Jaejoong. He led the way towards an office at the back. “I didn’t know you were back in town Jae! The coffee shop has been doing well. I’m glad to see you doing good too!”

“It’s great to hear that everything is going smoothly here. You look great yourself as well! Anyway, let me introduce you to someone.” Jaejoong pulled Seohyun into view of Doojoon. “Doojoon, this is Seohyun. Seohyun, this is my partner in business, Doojoon.” Seohyun politely bowed at Doojoon. She thought she saw the color of his eyes change but shrugged off the thought as she smiled.

“I’m guessing you brought her here for a reason,” Doojoon said.“Well I guess if she’s going to be working here, I might as well show her around first. This is the main office. That’s my table and the other, Jaejoong’s.” Doojoon pointed at the two tables inside the room.

Seohyun glanced at Jaejoong and shot him a look as if to say that there was no way she was ever going to work at his coffee house. “Follow me.” Doojoon said as he gestured towards the counter. Seohyun sighed as she followed him while Jaejoong trailed behind the two of them.

“The shop’s not too big but we do get a huge number of patrons daily.” Doojoon said. “The guy over the first counter is Yoseob and the guy by the second one is Dongwoon.”

Seohyun watched the two interact with the customers trickling in and noticed how friendly they were. Doojoon whistled as he motioned towards Seohyun with both hands, drawing the attention of the two baristas towards them. The two smiled and bowed slightly at the sight of the beautiful vampire beside their boss.

Seohyun settled at a table by the glass panels as Jaejoong was talking to the staff in the coffee house. Looking around, she found herself admiring the interior and it was a whole lot more beautiful than what she had remembered it to be. The place was two floors high, wall made of bare bricks and glass panels. While it looked simplistic, perhaps this was exactly the kind of environment the people busy of Seoul needed; a warm and cozy coffee house for them to grab a cup of aromatic coffee and take themselves away from their hectic lifestyles.

“This place is beautiful isn’t it?” Doojoon asked. “Jaejoong and myself though it would be nice to keep it nice and simple.”

Seohyun turned around to give a light smile as she replied, “Yes, it is. As much as I don’t like your partner over there, I have to admit, this place looks really well done up.”

“Well he can get on people’s nerves fairly easily, I’ll give you that much.”

Both of shared a light chuckle as Seohyun continued, “So, how did you get to know Jaejoong?”

“Well, it will be quite complicated if I tell you the whole story, but let’s just say we go way back. He’s a really good friend of mine,” Doojoon explained.

“I’m sure you’ll have time to tell me one day then.”

Doojoon gently smiled at her, “To be honest, I can’t believe I’m meeting you in person.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Seohyun asked, clearly confused by the response she had just gotten.

“Oh, by the way,” Doojoon ignored the vampire’s curiosity and walked towards the waiter. “Meet another good friend of mine, Junhyung. Junhyung, this is Seohyun.” Doojoon put an arm over Junhyung’s shoulder.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Junhyung flashed a smile then walked over the counter to pick up some of the customers orders.

Seohyun grew really curious. The vibe felt weird around Doojoon and the people he introduced to her. She walked towards Jaejoong and slightly tugged at his arm. Jaejoong shot her a look as he was still talking to the two guys.

But Seohyun continued tugging Jaejoong’s arm, so he quickly pulled her beside him and put over an arm around her shoulders. “Guys, meet Seohyun. Seohyun,” he emphasized, “They are workers here, Kikwang and Hyunseung.” The two well built men bowed slightly and smiled gently at her.

Seohyun nodded at them while muttering to Jaejoong, “I’m sensing something weird around your friends. Something out of place that I just can’t seem put my fingers on.” She then faked a smile at Kikwang and Hyunseung.

“Guys, Junhyung could use some help.” Doojoon approached them and nudged at his two workers. They went back to work as Doojoon told them so. He crossed his arms and smiled again and Seohyun, “What do you think? You can help serve the customers, it wouldn’t be that hard.”

Seohyun glanced on her shoulder and noticed that Jaejoong still had his arm around her. She quickly shrugged it off and gave Jaejoong a stern look before turning back to Doojoon, “I appreciate you for introducing me to your staff. However, I have --­”

“Ah, Doojoon-shi! Yes, she’ll start working here tomorrow. We’ll be leaving now, see you!” Jaejoong smiled at Doojoon and slowly pulled Seohyun outside the coffee shop.

“What the hell was that?!” Seohyun yelled hysterically as soon as they got outside, pulling Jaejoong’s hands off her wrist. Jaejoong sighed and looked away. “Who do you think you are to me? You cannot just decide for me! I told you I won’t work—“

“I wish to tell you who I really am to you, amongst the many things I have to say. But you’re not giving me a chance.” Jaejoong finally said, looking directly at Seohyun’s eyes.

Seohyun sighed, “Then tell me. Tell me now.”

They walked together in silence along the nearest park. Children were playing around, running and chasing each other. The atmosphere was so light and carefree. But the tense silence between them seemed unbreakable.

Jaejoong cleared his throat as he finally broke the silence, “You probably know I’m a hundred years older than you.” Seohyun just looked at him and prompted him to continue. “I’m KIM Jaejoong.”

“I know that.” Seohyun rolled her eyes.

“No, I mean,” Jaejoong was hesitant knowing that Seohyun might well be unaware of their history. “I’m a Kim.”

“And I’m a Seo.” Seohyun just chuckled at her weak attempt as a joke, not getting what Jaejoong said.

“Exactly, I’m a Kim and you’re a Seo. Does it not ring a bell?” Jaejoong asked. Seohyun’s eyebrows furrowed. She thought deeply as she dug through her memory.

“Royal. We’re from,” Seohyun started recalling the links slowly.

“Royal family, that’s what they called it. But I prefer the term clan.” He wryly smiled and continued.

“I’ve lived for a hundred years longer than you. And I’ve known you for a hundred years.” This stopped Seohyun in her tracks. Jaejoong looked intently at Seohyun, “I’ve witnessed how your life went by. I was there silently watching you from afar. Looking on as I waited for you to come of age.”

“No way....”

“Our parents agreed to let you to grow up before allowing us to meet personally.” Jaejoong continued, “Judging from what I saw back then, I wouldn’t have thought that you had it in you to take my place in TVXQ,” he chuckled.

“WAE!?” Seohyun grew nervous. How could Jaejoong know about her secret mission?

“What’s with that reaction? I was kidding. I meant it as you’re really strong, almost as strong as me.” Jaejoong sighed. “You know, Seohyun,” His tone turned serious. He stepped closer to Seohyun and held her arms. Seohyun would always shrug his hands off her, but this time she did not feel the urge to. “My parents and yours were really good friends.”

“I’ve heard about you before.” Seohyun said.

Jaejoong’s eyes beamed with delight, “You did?”

Seohyun nodded, “I was always curious about you. You’re pretty famous, even now. Byouths circumstances we met under were from ideal.”

“The thing about our parents--” Jaejoong trailed off when he saw someone coming their way. A familiar face, but not someone Jaejoong was delighted to see.

“Our parents?” Seohyun waited for him to complete his sentence but Jaejoong suddenly held her in a tight embrace. Her eyes widened in surprise. “YAY! J-Jaejoong-shi! I-in case you forgot, we’re still not in good terms! I could seriously kick you away right now!” she hissed.

Jaejoong wasn't trying to get touchy or anything; he had seen Kris coming their way. He didn’t want the towering and handsome being interrupt his moment with Seohyun so instead he decided to pull Seohyun in for a hug. Mistaking them for a sweet couple, Kris went the other way, much to the delight of Jaejoong.

As soon as Kris was out of Jaejoong’s sight, he quickly pulled back. “I’m sorry. Consider that as a belated condolence for your parents’ death after all this time.”

Seohyun’s face fell upon mention of her parents’ death.

“Seohyun, if I told you we were engaged, would you believe me? All these years I’ve always been searching for you, hoping that one day I might finally get to see you again. Meet you and be able to talk to you.” Jaejoong suddenly blurted out. Seohyun couldn’t even find her voice to speak. They stood there just looking into each other’s eyes as if to read each others’ thoughts. But nothing worked. The question was still unanswered.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think your presence around her is not doing any good.” A familiar voice came from behind. Seohyun turned and was surprised to see Lay.

“L-Lay... What are you doing here?” Seohyun found her voice to speak.

“You’ll be safe, don’t worry.” Lay assured as he walked towards Jaejoong. He shoved Seohyun protectively behind him as he faced Jaejoong. “I thought my brother told you to stay away from her.”

Jaejoong smirked, “You seriously believed that I would?”

“You should know better to keep your words,” Lay muttered under his breath.

“Lay, don’t get between—“Seohyun tried to ease the tension between the two men but she failed when she was cut off as Lay started to speak again.

“Kris will not be happy if he sees this, I'm not pleased as well. You've done enough to Kris as it is, stop including her into the picture.” Lay’s eyes beamed with a green hue while he gave Seohyun a look she could not comprehend as he continued, “If you so much as harm her, be prepared to deal with me as well.”

Jaejoong was lost in thoughts as he tried figuring out who Kris was and the crazy things Lay was spouting. But before he could even utter a word, Seohyun had disappeared together with Lay.

***

The next thing Seohyun saw around her was a peaceful yet empty street. She stood face to face with Lay as he started to speak yet again. “I told you before to be careful around that vampire. It’s not safe around him.”

“Lay,” Seohyun was touched, but she was in a serious conversation with Jaejoong before he had interrupted them. “I appreciate what you’re doing, but Jaejoong was a part of my past, a past that I’m still struggling to piece together.”

“What?” Lay exclaimed, clearly taken aback by what he had just heard.

“Stop worrying about me. I could definitely decimate him if he tried to pull off any tricks,” Seohyun assured. But he wasn’t convinced.

“I’m sorry, but I was born to protect,” Lay said but before Seohyun could even ask what he meant, a girl shoved Lay aside and slapped him on his cheek.

“You bloody two-timer!” The girl with thick make-up glared at Lay and turned towards Seohyun. She eyed the beautiful vampire from her head to toe as if she was someone as stunning as Seohyun.

She rolled her eyes again before leaving Lay and Seohyun speechless.

Lay rubbed his right cheek which was swollen after that slap. “Well looks like I broke a heart without even knowing it.”

“You’re welcome,” Seohyun said. They looked at each other as they shared a heartily laugh. “That was quite the scene was it not?”

“Yeah, but it was quite embarrassing, actually.” Lay scratched his nape and his cheeks blushed.

"OH MY GOD, SEOHYUN!!!” Seohyun’s eyes beamed upon hearing the voice. “Come here, baby! We missed you!” Sooyoung wrapped her arms around Seohyun as if they hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

“U-unnie. What are you doing here?” Seohyun asked.

“Just strolling around, finding my next mission.” Sooyoung said without noticing the presence of Lay. “How are you? Where are you staying? Is it big? Are you hungry?”

“U-unnie…” Seohyun said before looking at Lay who cleared his throat so that Sooyoung would notice him. The taller vampire’s eyes widened and she looked back at Seohyun, “I’m not going to ask who he is because I know he’s from SM Town as well, though I really don’t know his name yet. But, I think the question to ask would be why you are with him.” Sooyoung said in one breath.

“U-unnie! Don’t misunderstand!” Seohyun shook her head in exasperation.

Lay almost reddened when he finally gathered enough courage to speak, “I think I should take my leave.” He politely bowed before Sooyoung and he turned to Seohyun, “I still don’t like seeing you around that vampire.” He his eyes flashed a beautiful green eyes before they faded back to their normal color. In a second, he disappeared along the narrow street.

As soon as Lay was gone, Sooyoung pulled the maknae into a tight embrace once again. “You’re doing well right?” Seohyun nodded on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me, Soo. I’m fine.” She said.

Sooyoung cupped her cheeks, “Make sure you’re telling the truth. You’re a strong vampire but you’re still a baby to us.” Seohyun chuckled at the protectiveness of her sister.  Sooyoung ruffled Seohyun’s hair and patted her head after. “Even if you’re strong enough, I’m still worried. I must be crazy though.”

“I’ll be fine, trust me. Tell the others I miss them!” Seohyun said.

“Should I tell them about that guy too?” Sooyoung teased.

“Unnie!!!”