As if the universe hadn't already thrown enough surprises at them today, the moment the trio saw their "dorm," their jaws collectively hit the floor again. At this point, someone should probably call a specialist—those hinges were getting worn out.
Because this wasn't a dorm.
This was a whole damn two-story house, blending sleek modern lines with warm contemporary charm like it was auditioning for a luxury home magazine.
"여기가 너희 새 집이야." Salazar said with a warm smile.
(Welcome to your new home.)
"들어가도 돼요?" August asked, practically vibrating in place.
(Can we go in??)
"응, 어서." Iliyana said.
(Go ahead.)
That was all August needed. In less than a second, the boy was at the front door like someone had hit his warp-speed button.
Hand on the doorknob, he motioned wildly for his two hyungs to hurry their asses up. Ahn Jae and Silas jogged over, and together the three placed their hands on the knob. One deep breath, one set of beaming smiles, and they swung the door open—
—only for August to zoom inside like he was possessed.
"여기 미쳤다! 진짜 미쳤어!!" August screamed as he bounced from spot to spot.
(This place is freaking insane!)
And honestly? He wasn't wrong.
The interior was even more gorgeous than the facade—spacious, polished, warm, lived-in but luxurious.
"와… 씨발… " Silas muttered, unable to form a real sentence.
(Holy fuck…)
"위에 방 세 개 있어. 일단은 너희 셋이 하나씩 쓰면 돼. 근데 멤버가 더 늘어나면 당연히 룸메도 생길 거고, 알겠지?" Salazar explained.
(There are three bedrooms upstairs. You can each take one for now, but as more members join, you'll eventually have roommates.)
The boys nodded enthusiastically. Zero hesitation. Zero concern. Zero thoughts behind those sparkly eyes.
"좋아! 그럼 방 먼저 고르고 짐 풀어. 저녁 준비되면 다시 부를게."
(Excellent. Go pick your rooms and unpack. We'll reconvene when dinner's ready.)
Seth clapped his hands together.
"(먹고 싶은 거 있어?)"
Any requests?
Silas spoke first.
"(저… 타코 벨레 한번 먹어보고 싶어요.)"
I've always wanted to try Taco Belle.
August shot his hand up.
"저는 햄버거요!"
(I want a hamburger!)
Ahn Jae hesitated before lifting his phone.
"저… 혹시 이거 가능할까요?"
(Um… would this be too much to ask?)
He showed them a picture of lasagna.
"유튜브에서 많이 봐서… 한번 먹어보고 싶어요."
(I keep seeing it on UTube… I really want to try it.)
"물론이지. 라자냐 준비해줄게." Iliyana said with a soft smile that instantly made Ahn Jae's knees weak.
(Of course. We'll get you lasagna.)
"감사합니다…" he murmured shyly. (Thank you...)
"또 필요한 거 있어?" Salazar asked.
(Anything else?)
August raised a hand again like the baby sunshine he was.
"케이크도 가능해요?"
(Can we get cake too?)
"케이크? 디저트로? 너 혼자?" Salazar asked, confused.
(Cake? For dessert? For just you?)
"아뇨! 통으로요!" August beamed.
(No, a whole cake!)
"오늘 축하해야죠!"
(We have to celebrate!)
Ahn Jae blinked.
"무슨 축하?"
(Celebrate what?)
August grinned so brightly he might as well have been photosynthesizing.
"우리 꿈이 드디어 시작됐잖아요!"
(The official start of our dream finally coming true!)
The room melted. Every vampire, every hyung, every adult suddenly wanted to adopt him.
Salazar bowed his head dramatically.
"그렇다면 케이크 준비해야지."
(Then a cake we shall have.)
August jumped like a golden retriever discovering a new toy.
"저녁까지는 좀 시간 있으니까, 올라가서 짐 풀고 쉬어."
(You've got time before dinner. Go unpack and get settled.)
With that, the Vampire Squad left them to explore.
The trio didn't waste a second—they sprinted upstairs. No discussion needed. No arguing.
They simply split like magnets repelling and went to the room with their names on it.
****
The moment each of them opened their bedroom doors, they froze—then promptly forgot how to breathe.
The rooms were cozy and dangerously comfortable, the kind of space that whispers, "Lay down for five minutes and lose three hours."
A queen-sized bed dominated the center, piled with bedding so fluffy it looked illegal.
And sitting right on top of each bed was a pristine lineup of gadgets from Marshmello, the world's leading electronics brand—owned, very casually, by Foca's eldest brother, Jonathan.
Each of the trio received:
A brand-new smartphone
A tablet
A high performance laptop
A smartwatch
Wireless headphones
Wireless earbuds
August's were all shades of yellow, because of course the sunshine gremlin gets his sunshine tech.
Ahn Jae's was a sleek matte charcoal.
Silas's: matte silver, clean enough to slice someone emotionally.
And that wasn't even the start of it.
Each room had its own walk-in closet and private bathroom.
The closets were half-stocked already with clothing from El'Tamora, the global fashion behemoth offering everything from affordable streetwear to limited luxury drops.
Naturally, that company happened to be owned by Foca's second eldest sibling, Pearl.
Casual trillionaire family things.
Each closet also had a small personal safe, which made all three boys feel like they were suddenly in a spy movie.
Then came the bathrooms—stacked, absolutely stacked, with products from Damascus, a wildly famous all-natural skincare and hygiene brand invented by Foca's third eldest sibling, Alexandrite.
Apparently the man created every product himself out of boredom.
Because why play Sudoku when you can invent a global skincare empire?
The bathroom itself was full marble, sparkling like it had been buffed by angels.
It had a spacious shower room with a rainfall showerhead attached to the ceiling, and a bathtub that looked like it was designed for weeping dramatically in a music video.
It was too much.
It was everything they never dared to dream of.
And it was very obvious—because within seconds, loud excited screams echoed from every room upstairs.
****
As dinner time rolled in, Seth's loud booming voice echoed through the house, calling the trio down to the dining room.
The three practically skipped out of their rooms with matching bright smiles and headed downstairs.
The moment their feet hit the bottom step, the smell hit them—warm, savory, mouthwatering. Their stomachs practically stood up and saluted.
The dining table was already fully set, the food neatly lined up like it was posing for a magazine spread.
The boys rushed into their seats; the vampire squad followed and took theirs. And just like that, the feast began.
Salazar had grabbed a burger from the same joint August's burger came from.
Iliyana was digging into a bowl of pesto pasta from the Italian place Ahn Jae's lasagna came from.
And Seth… Seth had a massive burrito from Taco Belle, holding it like it owed him money.
The trio blinked at them in disbelief.
These three looked like they'd only dine at five-star Mitchellin places—and here they were, happily annihilating fast food like normal people.
Honestly? Adorable.
Mid-dinner, August suddenly pouted.
"왜 우리만 와인 못 마셔요?"
(Why are we the only ones who can't have wine?)
Salazar paused, swallowed his bite, and explained,
"캘리포니아는 만 스물한 살부터 마실 수 있어. 너는 열여덟이고, 실라스는 스무 살이니까 아직 안 돼."
(In California, you need to be 21 to drink. You're 18, and Silas is 20, so nope.)
So August's wine glass was filled with orange juice.
Silas's with apple juice.
Both looked like betrayed toddlers at brunch.
August sulked for a solid twelve seconds… until Salazar placed the cake on the table.
Instant forgiveness.
Before anyone could touch their slices, August shot up from his seat and raised his orange-juice-filled wine glass high.
"새로운 시작을 위해!"
(To new beginnings!)
Then he nudged his hyungs to speak too.
Ahn Jae swallowed hard, lifted his glass,
"고생이 드디어 보상받는 날까지."
(To the day our hard work finally pays off.)
His voice wavered, eyes shining.
Silas raised his glass last,
"예술가도 사람처럼 대우받는 세상에."
(To artists finally being treated like actual human beings.)
A teeny bit of bitterness slipped out—just enough to make the table freeze for one awkward beat.
Then everyone nodded, pretended they didn't just hear trauma, and clinked glasses like champs.
All six dug into the cake—the sweetest, softest, most heavenly cake the trio had ever tasted in their lives.
****
PS - You can check out the inspiration of the dorm/house over at: "https://www.nichiha.com/uploads/blog/nichiha_modernhome_d.jpg"