Chapter Text
It was a cold autumn morning when Minseok’s shoes broke as he made his way to work. As he trudged through the dead leaves on the pavement he felt the sole of his boot separate from the leather. He stopped to inspect it, sighed, and carried on. It was about time he got new boots, though he supposed he would have to wait until they literally fall apart and were irreparable because he had no money for such things. He could just find some glue in the storeroom of the factory and try to fix it.
A newsboy waved newspapers at the people rushing by in the morning commute. Minseok was able to spare two coins, one for the paper and one for the boy’s breakfast, and he scanned over the headlines as he walked. As per usual, the news was grim. More reported incidents of anti-vampire groups starting conflicts all over the country. More articles about politicians holding meetings to try and avoid another war. He sighed and shook his head. Though the last major world war concerning humans and vampires had occurred nearly one hundred years ago, there had always been smaller wars and conflicts erupting every now and then. The last war in Korea happened when he was a child though he had been fortunate enough to have been living in the countryside and away from the conflict with his family when it happened.
The walk from his apartment to the textile factory was not far as he lived in the industrial sector of the city. Rent was incredibly cheap but it was due to the poorly maintained buildings. Minseok had been living there for three years already and he knew that if he did not have his best friend Junmyeon living and working with him then he would have fallen into misery ages ago.
He stood in the line of workers slowly trudging into the factory and Minseok frowned as he thought of his friend. He’d recently fallen ill, which was no surprise to either of them because his health was appalling, but now Minseok was rather worried. The more work days Junmyeon missed, the less money he was able to bring in, and they were struggling to make ends meet already. Minseok stowed his newspaper away with his coat, scarf, and hat in his small locker and pulled on a pair of worn overalls and joined the other workers in the factory. The machines were already going and a cloud of steam hung over their heads. Minseok was used to the drone of the machines by now and he was used to being on his feet all day. His work days were incredibly dull but Junmyeon’s company made it more bearable.
Minseok never thought he would grow up to work at a factory in the city, but he had been working there since he was seventeen with no clear end in sight. If the last conflict had not been so devastating to humans and vampires then his life would not have been completely changed and he probably would have been able to finish school and attend university. His family also probably would not have died after moving to the city and contracting illnesses due to their poor living conditions. But Minseok tried to not spend time reminiscing because he knew that it was of no use. Being miserable about the past would not change his present situation.
While the factory and all sectors of industry were owned by wealthy vampires, they were managed by humans. Minseok’s boss was loathsome and abused his power so it was a small relief when he ended a work day without being harassed by him. He had a special disliking for Minseok, most likely due to his background and family history, which had spread quickly amongst everyone in the factory since he started working there as a teenager.
Once upon a time the two species did get along quite well, but the competition for resources and wealth, as well as the growing presence of religion, changed everything. Vampires always ended up at the top of the social hierarchy and many humans vented their frustration against other humans who did not want to detest them and join rebellions. Minseok knew that the tensions between vampires and humans were worse off in the city purely due to the place’s turbulent history. In other parts of the world there were no hierarchies or tensions, though he could scarcely imagine such places outside of books.
After the last war the survivors of the vampire family that employed Minseok’s family decided to leave the country for good. Though they tried to help desperately, Minseok’s family could not leave under suspicion of being collaborators, due to martial laws decreed by the newly elected human government. They moved to the city with hardly any money and life had been difficult. The reason why his family, and other families like his, were so hated and discriminated against was because they worked for vampires by means of being blood patrons.
Thousands of years ago certain clans had pledged themselves to serving vampire clans, not due to subordination or coercion, but because they shared friendships and relationships. The majority of vampires did not want to harm unwilling humans just to survive and so the agreement between clans worked out for them and the general population. Such clans used to be treated like royalty and were held in high regard in society. Unfortunately they ended up on the wrong side of history and many of them died out. Many of Minseok’s cousins and extended family had either died or left the country for better prospects, sometimes alone and sometimes with the vampires they served. Clans were identified not by surname but by their seal, so it was easy for Minseok to hide his heritage until he had to sign any sort of document. When Minseok had signed the contract to work at the factory he’d had no choice but to sign with his seal, as required by law, and the news had spread like wildfire.
The only person who did not stare at him or avoid him had been Junmyeon. He had worked beside Minseok at the time and greeted him with a friendly smile and they’d been best friends ever since.
The sun was starting to dip towards the horizon as Minseok walked back home, his boot now fixed with some glue he had swiped when none of his supervisors were around. He stopped to buy some medicine and food before continuing along with the throng of people. Minseok paused when he heard the unmistakable sound of an engine and turned his head with everyone else to see a car driving down the road. It was one of the latest models, and Minseok never failed to gape at cars when he saw them, but he immediately recognised that it belonged to a vampire. Everyone else knew as well, and many of them stopped in their commute and stared as the car passed by. Some looked on in fear and others in revulsion. It was most likely one of the factory owners going to check up on things, and Minseok managed to get a glimpse of red eyes behind the dark windows. They regarded him and the other humans with contempt.
Minseok remembered the vampire clan his family had served as being the kindest people he’d ever known. But every vampire he’d encountered in the city was arrogant and rude and often very eager to assert their authority over anyone beneath them. He did not meet them often, as he was just a poor factory worker after all, but when he did Minseok was sure to stay polite and respectful. It was a common occurrence that anyone who disrespected a vampire, or who was perceived as being disrespectful, was either arrested or faced worse consequences if the vampire was daring enough to disobey the law.
Drinking from non-consenting humans had been outlawed centuries ago, but after the dissolution of blood patron clans, some humans tried to make business out of it by selling blood. It had taken a while to legalise and legitimise it but now only a few select companies were allowed to distribute blood for vampires’ use. Due to the devastating aftermath of war, Korea stopped being able to manufacture and distribute its own blood and had to start relying on foreign imports. There are many rumours that local blood is taken by dubious means and that most of it is diluted with animal blood and it remains a heavily contested issue. Many people also willingly sell their own blood, often in private hidden bars and clubs, though it is considered a form of illegal solicitation and is often viewed with more contempt by the human authorities than a vampire attack, a rare occurrence, because it is seen as a betrayal of humanity.
Minseok was glad to finally arrive home after a long day and he was glad that Junmyeon had turned on the heating. It was a tiny one-room apartment and they just had enough space to fit in two beds on either side of the one and only window.
“Hello, Minseok,” Junmyeon said from where he sat at the table reading a book. “How was work?”
“Same old,” Minseok said with a sigh. “How are you feeling?”
Despite Junmyeon’s phlegmy cough he shook his head dismissively.
“Fine. I should be better tomorrow,” he said and Minseok just rolled his eyes. Junmyeon never knew how or when to look after himself and so Minseok usually had to force-feed him healthy food or drag him back into bed when he tried to get up for work.
“I doubt that. I’ll make us supper,” he said and he got to work in their tiny kitchen. They had a meagre dinner of rice and the meat and vegetables Minseok had bought. While he was just able to afford decent food Minseok was not sure for how much longer he could do so.
“I saw in the news today that ambassadors from China are visiting,” Junmyeon said through a mouthful of rice. “It’s apparently for some kind of conference about the attack on that vampire in the south.”
“What’re they going to do about it?” Minseok said with a dry laugh. “This kind of stuff isn’t happening in China or anywhere else.”
“That’s the thing. They’re going to teach people about peace and harmony or something,” Junmyeon said and he laughed at the idea. “Imagine that. I think I’ll die before I see anything as much as a human and a vampire holding hands.”
“It’s not impossible,” Minseok said with a shrug. “Though I doubt it could ever happen here.” He glanced out the window at the grey skyline. Once it was fully dark the city centre would be full of busy vampires. While some did venture out during the day, the majority of them conducted their business at night because the sunlight was rather uncomfortable. As a result humans avoided going out after dark at all costs. The only humans to be seen at night were the aristocrats though they were few and far between and mostly shunned by humans of lower social classes.
Junmyeon fiddled with the silver cross around his neck and he followed Minseok’s gaze.
“You say things never used to be this bad,” he muttered. “I’ve lived in this city my whole life and I really don’t want to believe that there’ll be another war.”
“Well, I don’t suppose there’s anything we can do about it,” Minseok said with a sigh. “But let’s not talk about depressing stuff. I bought you some medicine and you’d better take it all!”
After finishing their meal and making Junmyeon drink the cough syrup, the two of them sat close to the radiator and poured over the word puzzles in the newspaper. They owned a few books which had been read and re-read countless times, and seeing as neither of them could afford other means of entertainment they relied on the newspaper. Many people of their social class weren’t entirely literate and Minseok was glad that Junmyeon had completed most of his schooling. He’d dropped out at sixteen to support his family but he desperately wanted to go to university. Minseok consoled him by telling him that one day everything would fall into place.
That night Minseok had the same recurring dream that he dreamt at least once a week. He was in his childhood home in the countryside. It was a magnificent manor house and in the dream he did nothing but walk down the passages. It did not disturb him even if it often made him feel a bit sad. But in the morning he did not have much time to think about his dreams because Junmyeon was worse off than the previous day.
“God, I wish I didn’t have to leave you here,” Minseok said as he pulled the duvet up to Junmyeon’s chin. He was pale and clammy and his cough was like a thick bark.
“Don’t worry about me,” he muttered. “I just wish I could get some money in. I’m going to get fired one of these days.”
“Don’t think about that,” Minseok said sternly. “I’ll see if I can work overtime or something. We’ll figure something out, just rest. There’s food and tea for you in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Minseok,” he said with a sigh.
He looked rather melancholic and Minseok really wished he could abandon his own day’s work to look after him. Neither of them had money for a doctor so all Minseok could do was pray that the cough syrup would work.
At work he was very annoyed to see his boss walking about. He tried to put his head down and ignore him, but the empty space beside him was glaringly obvious.
“Still no Junmyeon, eh?” the man drawled as he sauntered over to Minseok. “What’s wrong with him this time?”
“He has a chest infection, sir,” Minseok said with some forced politeness.
“Hmm. Does he know that I can’t pay him for work that doesn’t get done?”
“He’s aware, sir.”
“Well, I hope he’s aware that he’s getting nothing for this month. I’m considering firing him too.”
Minseok had no response so he merely nodded and it took a lot of effort to keep a straight face.
After finding nothing else to harass Minseok about, he sauntered off to another employee. For the rest of the day Minseok was tense as he worried about Junmyeon’s health and their dwindling finances. He barely concentrated on anything else and even as he walked home he stumbled over a loose stone on the pavement and dropped his newspaper. He sighed as he bent down to gather up the scattered pages but he froze when his eyes spotted the classifieds and his lips parted in a sudden moment of realisation. He cursed his own stupidity because of course it made sense for him to find a second job. He could not expect Junmyeon to miraculously find work that did not require him to leave the apartment.
Minseok stepped aside and leaned against a wall and scanned his eyes over the numerous job advertisements. He needed something in the evenings so that he could still work at the factory, but he already moved onto page three and there was nothing. He was on the final page and close to giving up when his eyes caught a small little section in the corner of the page beside an advert for a funeral home service.
Wanted: House cleaner.
Must be reliable and have knowledge of how to clean rare and expensive furniture.
Hours are negotiable.
Although it was incredibly vague and a house cleaner was at the absolute bottom of servants jobs, Minseok raised his eyebrows when he saw the salary. He read over the address and the contact details and saw that he had until six o’clock to go ask for an appointment. Minseok wasted no time and took the last tram of the day to the other side of the city. He figured out where to go by asking people for directions and he ignored the strange looks he got due to his tattered working-class attire and the lateness of the hour.
Eventually he found his way to a suburban area that was almost closed off from the city by a park and the cemetery. He had never been on this side of town before and he only saw well-dressed ladies and gentlemen strolling about on the wide pavements. He kept his head down as he passed them and made his way up a small hill until he came to one of the biggest houses he’d ever seen since moving to the city. It was an old manor house made entirely out of dark stone and tiled with black slate. It was enclosed by high brick walls and a tall black iron gate. If it were not for the walls then it would be nearly hidden by the expanse of tall trees surrounding the property. Minseok approached the gate hesitantly and peered through the bars. He was unsure of how to alert anyone that he was there and a sudden voice made him jump.
“Who’s there?”
He jumped around and saw a teenage boy walking up the pathway. He pushed a bicycle that was laden with a few parcels. He was dressed like a servant and although he was evidently younger than Minseok he was taller. He had a rather disinterested expression though his features were well-refined. Minseok thought that he could easily pass for an aristocrat if he were to put on the right clothes.
“Hello, er, I’m here for the cleaning job,” Minseok said. “The one advertised in the paper.”
“Oh, right,” he said though he did not sound either pleased or displeased about it. He took out a large key from his coat pocket and unlocked the gates and Minseok followed him through. The wide pathway led up to the house though they disregarded the front door and went around to the back. The gardens were a bit unkempt though Minseok preferred it to the clinically neat gardens people often preferred. The grass came up to their ankles and flowers and shrubs grew everywhere without constraint. The trees did not allow Minseok to see very far but he could discern that the rest of the grounds were rather wild and overgrown. He noticed that all the curtains were already drawn across the windows even though it was not yet dark.
“What’s your name?” the boy asked as he led Minseok to the back door. He leaned his bicycle against the wall and started to unload the packages.
“Kim Minseok,” he said. “Do you want some help with that?”
The boy regarded him for a moment before he nodded.
“Thanks. I’m Oh Sehun,” he said as he handed the heaviest parcel to Minseok. The back door opened at that moment and Minseok could not see over his parcel but the person who appeared sounded rather annoyed.
“Sehun what took you so long? I thought we were going to eat dinner without you – oh, who’s this?”
“He’s here for the cleaning job,” Sehun said indifferently as though he had not been scolded. The parcel was suddenly relieved from Minseok’s arms and shoved back at Sehun and Minseok came face-to-face with a smiling young man with a mop of black hair. He had a friendly face though Minseok detected a hint of hidden mischief.
“Hello! I’m Byun Baekhyun,” he said with a bow which Minseok returned after introducing himself. He looked Minseok up and down and raised an eyebrow and his smile faltered. “You know about looking after expensive furniture?”
His tone was not rude so Minseok took no offence as he understood why he would be sceptical. After all his boots were incredibly scuffed and there was a small tear in his hat.
“I used to clean for a rich family when I was younger,” he lied. “I don’t have any references though.”
“Well the fact that someone finally turned up is good enough for me,” Baekhyun said. “Come inside. Oh, fine, Sehun!”
Baekhyun snatched the parcel back even though Sehun had not said anything and he marched up the steps into the house. Minseok followed after Sehun and they came into a spacious kitchen where another two servants were bustling about and they continued on into a dining room that was bigger than Minseok’s entire apartment. The curtains were drawn and the table was not set but Baekhyun gestured for him to sit down. It felt strangely informal to have an interview in the dining room but Minseok complied. Sehun sat beside Baekhyun and just stared at Minseok with mild interest.
“Firstly, yes, you will be the only cleaning servant in this entire house,” Baekhyun said as though he was getting something off his chest. “Our last servant left because he got sick of all the work and it’s been impossible to get someone who’s willing to do the entire house.”
“I don’t mind,” Minseok said.
“I swear the salary is negotiable – what? You’re fine with it?” Baekhyun spluttered. Minseok smiled and nodded because if there was one thing he genuinely enjoyed it was cleaning. As a child he often helped to clean his family’s manor, much to everyone’s amusement at seeing him running around with a feather duster.
“There are four floors, including the basement, and they’re all filthy,” Baekhyun said as though still trying to gauge Minseok’s reaction. “We haven’t had anyone cleaning for nearly a month.”
“That’s fine with me,” Minseok said. “Really. I like cleaning.”
Sehun gaped at him but Baekhyun’s smile widened.
“Fantastic. Now what about your hours?”
“I work at a factory from eight until five,” Minseok explained. “So is it alright if I work after that? I know it’s a bit weird but I could really use the money. I don’t mind finishing late either.”
“That’s great, honestly,” Baekhyun said eagerly. “We’ll even give you supper. Are you available to start tomorrow? We can see how much needs to get done before we discuss your permanent hours.”
“Yes,” Minseok said. “Though, how do I let you know I’m outside the gate? If it wasn’t for Sehun I’d probably still be out there.”
“Well, it’s Sehun’s job to man the gate, actually,” Baekhyun said with a look at the boy that was not lacking in fondness. “Don’t worry, he’ll be there waiting for you.”
“Right. Are you the butler, then?”
Baekhyun laughed and shook his head.
“I’m just a footman,” he said. “We’ don’t have a butler. It’s just one cook, two footmen, Sehun, and now you!”
Minseok was surprised that such a large house could function with so few servants.
“Oh? Is it a small family that lives here?” he asked.
“It’s just the master of the house, actually. He keeps to himself so don’t expect to see him at all.”
Minseok nodded though it sounded rather strange that he actually had no idea who lived in the house. But Baekhyun seemed very friendly, and even if he wasn’t friendly the salary was enough to make Minseok put up with anything. So they spoke a bit longer before Minseok left. Baekhyun walked him to the gate and gave him an enthusiastic goodbye and watched him until he walked out of sight.
Now it was dark and chilly but Minseok walked with a smile on his face because by pure chance he’d landed himself a well-paying job. He knew that the hours would take a bit of a toll on his sleeping schedule but he was more than willing to put up with it for his and Junmyeon’s sakes.
Now as he walked home he noticed the vampires out and about on the streets. He was very aware that he was probably the only human on the street and they were aware of it too and some even stared at him. He merely put his head down and carried on, though he did not feel fearful at all. As he had grown up surrounded by vampires Minseok could never view them as monsters like the majority of the human population. They were just like everyone else to him. Despite the arrogant attitudes of the city vampires Minseok had faced far worse treatment from his own kind.
When he arrived home he was shocked to see that Junmyeon was fast asleep. He quietly went about making supper and gently woke him up.
“How are you feeling? Are you hungry?” he asked. Junmyeon shook his head.
“I feel terrible,” he muttered. “It’s dark…where were you? I thought I was imagining things.”
“I got another job,” Minseok said and he quickly explained everything to Junmyeon.
He was quiet for a moment.
“Are you sure about this? Servants don’t get treated well, especially cleaners,” he said. Minseok shrugged.
“I don’t mind, to be honest. Nothing can be worse than that godforsaken factory.”
Junmyeon seemed a bit subdued and Minseok reassured him that he had absolutely no reason to feel bad. He knew that Junmyeon tended to be a bit sensitive so he hoped he would not feel guilty about Minseok having to get another job.
That night Minseok dreamt again of his childhood home though now it was more vivid. He sat in the drawing room and bright sunlight filtered through the large windows. He was surrounded by his family and it felt strange because although he did not know that he was dreaming, he knew that something was not right because his family was gone. He knew that they should not all be together in the house because the house no longer existed. He was not distressed but he could not feel content with the situation when he knew that it was not entirely real. Then the vampire family they served entered the room and Minseok felt a deep sorrow tugging at his heart when their bright smiles reached their red glinting eyes. He missed them as much as he missed his own parents, and even though he saw them smiling and laughing, calling him fondly, he could not help but cry.
For the first time in a long time Minseok searched through a box he kept beneath his bed. It contained his most precious possessions that were the last keepsakes he had from his past. There were a few yellowed black-and-white photographs, a painting of his family seal and the seal of the vampire family, and a silver necklace with a small crystal moon pendant, a symbol of his clan. The necklace had been passed down throughout his family for generations and it was the most valuable thing he owned. His dream made him feel rather nostalgic so he decided to wear the necklace from now on.