Chapter 3 - The Immortal’s Favourite Humans

"Is this a really good idea, boss?"

"This house is suffocating me, Sebastian," I replied softly. "I want you to know that. It holds a lot of painful memories for me and Jaemin seems to think that going away will help me heal. But do not sell this house, but you can rent it out to unsuspecting humans. I do not mind."

Sebastian looked at me with concern. I looked at the group of men behind him. They shared similar expressions on their faces. I knew what they wanted to say, but I knew they dare not say. I gave Sebastian a small smile, I did not want to tell him that I had no plans to live any longer.

I have been holding out for too long.

Jaemin seems to think that leaving the house will do me good but I do not think so. It might be better for me to find a resting place, away from where the rest would never find me. But I dare not disappoint Jaemin, he has fought to make me live and I owe him that at least.

I patted Sebastian's shoulder. "I will be okay," I reassured.

"Please, the clan will wait for your return," he replied.

I swallowed the words that threatened the peace. I dare not think about what I had in mind. Giving him a soft smile, I bade goodbye to the rest of the men and thanked them for seeing me off. Jaemin had already left and was waiting for me at the front, our things packed and ready to go.

One hundred days.

.

Three Years Later -

After three years had passed uneventfully, Jaemin and I decided to move to the City but we went our separate ways. He would be living with his own favourite humans while I attempt to live on my own. Jaemin had established himself as a professor in college where Jiminie would be studying while I would just continue with what I was previously doing.

Despite not seeing Jiminie, we messaged almost everyday and he called frequently. When he told me that he successfully enrolled into the University of his choice, I was excited for his dreams to come true and we were supposed to be having a congratulatory dinner together with his mother, but it got postponed till the move. He said he wanted to see me there first.

I watched him grow – him slowly loosening the chubby cheeks into defined jawline, the innocence in his doe eyes into a matured pair, but the soft look on his face never changed. I wondered what else on him changed. He must've shot up in height, I mused, and his body must be defined with lean muscles from all the dancing he did for seven years.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay on your own?" Jaemin asked, when I broke the news to him that I wouldn't be living with him after we moved to town.

"Yeah I'll be okay," I said. "If I'm not then I'll move back in with you."

He laughed. "Okay, I'll leave a room free for you."

"We really are doing this, aren't we?"

He nods. "A new start to life."

"You take care of yourself, Jaemin."

"You too, Alice."

.

The move took a few weeks of careful planning. The movers were required to come and load everything into their lorries, and while they were doing so, I loaded my car with my essential items – a bag filled with clothes, my phone and its cable as well as a mini fridge to store my blood bags – to keep me sane during the three hour drive to the new place.

Jaemin had already moved out earlier in the week, and I had helped move the remainder of his items as it took more than two trips to shift his things out. I didn't realise that he had many things including furniture and I was taken aback at how much he had. Why can't he throw them away and get new ones?

They were a waste of time.

Seeing that the movers were about to move off, I told them the passcode to my new apartment in case they reached earlier than I did and as I watched them drive off, I got into the car. I looked around the street – there were a lot of memories here and a sense of nostalgia weighed heavily upon my shoulders as I looked ahead.

It's time to move on, I mused.

The new abode I had chosen was a two-storey loft condominium – snugly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was spacious enough to have a few friends over, but not too large for a single person to live in. The upper floor has been converted entirely into a large open concept bedroom – fitting in a king-sized bed, cabinets, bookshelves and a bathroom. The first floor was mainly the living room equipped with a television and a large kitchen space with a bar counter.

Everything in the loft was in black, designed as an industrial loft.

Three hours later, I got out of the car stretching my aching torso and looked around the carpark. I had my own parking lot and I was more than pleased at where it was situated. Grabbing my handphone, I made my way towards the loft. I was eager to see how it really looked like as I only saw photos from the interior designer.

Punching in the passcode, I pushed open the steel – coloured door and sucked in a breath when I saw the view before me. I took off my shoes. It was larger than I had anticipated and the floor to ceiling window took me in by surprise – allowing natural sunlight to fill up the apartment. The walls were brown brick and to my left was the kitchen with the bar counter.

A steel rack faced the back wall of the kitchen, with a dual door fridge snug in-between. I could fit a microwave in there, and I could stack my plates and bowls at one of the shelves. The stove and sink was facing the fridge and in front was the bar counter with its black marble countertop. On my right along the wall was empty so I guessed I could fit a piano there.

Ahead was the living room with a tanned sofa fit for four people and a matching coffee table. I stood by the window – gazing out at the scenery before me and I was pleased at how pleasant the view was. It overlooked the city – I was sure it would look heavenly during sunrise and sunset. I could get used to a view like this.

A call interrupted my inner musings. It was Jaemin. "Hey, have you reached the loft yet?" he asked.

"This place is amazing, Jae," I said with glee. I turned to climb up the stairs – my hand running along the smooth black railing and my feet on solid oak. "I'm glad I chose this place."

"I'm glad you liked it," he said. "I'll drop by and have a look soon."

"Okay."

"See you later! I got a class to teach!"

"Bye ~"

I let out a sound of awe as I looked at the bedroom space. The king – sized bed was along the railing and flanked with two bedside tables. There were frames hung on the brick walls and as I stepped further inside, I saw the wall – to – ceiling closet spanning from one wall to the other – blocking the space to mark out as a closet area.

Next to the bed was an L-shaped table and rows upon rows of floating shelves. Sitting opposite the cabinet was the bathroom. I had ensured that there was a bathtub in it, including a vanity table and a sink. It was spacious, roomy and entirely black. I had a little smile on my face as I got out of the bathroom and climbed downstairs to sit on the sofa.

This is nice.

I could live here for very long.

.

I looked up when I hear the passcode being punched and turned to see the front door swinging open to reveal an excited-looking Jiminie. My eyes widened in surprise as I see him bundling over – taking off his shoes in one swift move before he ran over to me, to throw himself at me. I was taken aback at his towering height, and the sudden weight crashing down on me.

I wasn't expecting him to be heavier and I stumbled backwards in surprise, tripping over my own two feet before we crashed onto the ground with a cry and a laugh. "Jiminie!" I cried in wonder as I wrapped my arms around the boy, squeezing him tightly to me. "Oh, my goodness. You … you've grown so big! You're taller than me now."

He giggled at my statement, burrowing his head onto my neck as he nuzzled his nose. "I've missed you, Alice!" he crowed in joy. "I'm happy to see you again!"

Laughing breathlessly, I sat up, bringing him upright as well and cupped his face so I could take a closer look at him. Seeing the sculpted face in the flesh was entirely different from seeing it on a phone screen. "Hey, are you going to grow taller?" I asked worriedly, eyeing his long legs. "I should stop giving you milk."

"That's not fair, Alice!"

"Hey, stop growing."

"You can't tell me that, it's not like I can stop growing," he whined as he sat on his haunches. "I'm only twenty. I still have a few more years till I stop growing."

"What, you're still a kid," I said.

"I'm not!" he exclaimed. "I can drink with you already!"

I looked at him and burst into laughter. What an adorable kid. "Is that what you're looking forward to, little one?" I asked as I ruffled his hair. It's been years since I get to play with his hair. It feels the same underneath my fingers and I missed it. "Hey, come on, let's get off the floor. I'm still making breakfast."

"Are you going to make some for me?"

He got up first and pulled me up to him, wrapping his arms around my waist as he grinned down at me. Shit. He's tall as fuck. Standing together with him made me realise just how tall he had shot up over the course of the years and I was taken aback at just how short I was. I had to tilt my head up to look at him.

"Don't you have school today?"

"It's just orientation," he said. "You're joining us for dinner, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "I can pick you up from school."

"Really?" he asked in surprise. "Yay!"

"Yeah, so let go please," I said.

"No! You have to pull me along."

I sighed.

.

Hours later, I put the car in park and drummed my fingers against the steering wheel as I took my mobile phone to drop a message to Jiminie that I was already in front of the school. Telling him the plate number, I put my phone aside and waited for the boy to come – humming along to the music playing on radio.

Within minutes, he came running towards the car, knocked on the window with a bright smile on his face and I unlocked the door – watching as he opened it, bringing in the wind with him as he sat down. His familiar vanilla scent filled up the car – making me tighten my grip on the steering wheel – reminding myself that I should feed soon.

"I didn't know you had a car, Alice," he said as he buckled in, dropping the bag onto the floor. He began inspecting the car – opening this and that as I pulled out of the school.

"I just bought it recently," I said.

"So…"

"Yes?"

"Are we heading home first?" he questioned. "Mum would probably be happy to see you."

"Yeah, we're picking up your mum right now," I said, eyeing the side mirrors as I turned a left, heading down a street. I eyed the map app I had opened on my mobile phone, which was fixed onto the dashboard. "Dinner's reserved at a restaurant you wanted to go. You're lucky we managed to get a seat."

He giggled as he leaned down on the seat comfortably. "Wait, is Jaemin joining us?" he asked, suddenly remembering him.

"Yes, but he'll be joining us later," I replied. "Something came up at work apparently."

"Oh, talking about work, what are you doing right now?" he asked. "I never really asked what you were doing while I was growing up."

I hesitated. Cleared my throat and sniffed as I tried to think of a reasonable answer to his question. Should I lie? Should I be truthful? I guess I should be half truthful. I didn't want to scare him with the answer. "I own a few companies," I trailed off, licking my lips as I tried not to panic from his sudden question.

"Eh?" he sounded surprised. "What do you mean you own a few companies? Are you rich rich? So, you don't have to go to work at all?"

"I do go to work," I said. "Just not every day."

"What the hell?" he murmured in surprise. "That's brilliant."

"Sure."

"What kind of companies do you own?" he asked next.

"Entertainment companies," I answered, trying to find the correct words in English, frowning hard. "Music, dance, theatre and a school for displaced children."

He perked up when he heard the word 'dance' and I could feel his eyes on me. "You own a dance company?" he was surprised. "Is it … good?"

"Why?" I asked. "Are you thinking of working there once you graduate?"

"I might," he said.

I smiled. "I'll look forward to it," I said.

"You haven't told me the company name," he grumbled.

"It's Haewon Performing Arts."

He sucked in a sharp breath and he lets out a curse, muttering under his breath about being friends with a young CEO. I tried to keep the grin off my face as I listened to him mumble to himself, knowing that he didn't realise that I could hear him.

"You're amazing, Alice," he said finally. "I can't believe this."

"I know."

He lets out a groan at my reply.

I chuckled.

.

Jiminie and his mother were living in a small neighbourhood with cheap, affordable rates. A unit small enough to accommodate them both. Taeyeon had consulted me when she was choosing flats, and she told me her desire to choose a flat with cheap rates as she wanted to focus on paying for his school and additional activities.

I pointed out to her that since he's on a full fledge scholarship, she didn't need to downsize the flat and just choose a comfortable price. She didn't need to worry too much about it. When I asked her about her transportation, she was rueful and told me that it would probably cost her a lot since the hospital is on the other side of the city.

I contemplated on offering her some help, but I didn't want to appear that I pitied her. Technically I was "younger" than her and that she was asking me for advice was a big leap as well. Asking her if there is a shuttle bus to and from the hospital, an alternate solution to her problem, she remembered a colleague talking about it.

With that solved, I helped them pack up their old flat and sold whatever that they didn't need. With Jaemin's help, we handled the movers – it took careful planning and we succeeded in getting their stuff over to the city without much problems. While their things were being moved, Taeyeon and Jiminie took a train to the city just because and we saw them off at the train station.

Three years later, here I was in front of their building.

"How was living here, Jiminie?" I asked.

He held my hand as we walked towards the front lobby of the building, climbed the stairs and headed to the lift lobby. It had greying walls, and thirteen floors with long corridors. Each unit housed two bedrooms and a living room with an attached kitchen and bathrooms. It was a good fit for him and his mother – quaint and homey.

"It's good," he said. "The neighbours are friendly. I've made a few friends as well."

"That's good."

As we left the elevator, we walked along a long narrow corridor with units spaced out every few meters on the left. We stopped walking after the eighth door and Jiminie began punching in the passcode. Then, one of his neighbours appeared and greeted him. I turned around to see a boy his age grinning widely. His eyes turned curious when he noticed me standing there.

"Oh hey, Min Jun," Jiminie greeted. "What's up?"

"Hey! Is that your girlfriend?!" he demanded as he neared us both, grabbing my hand to shake eagerly. I was taken aback at his sudden outburst. "It's a pleasure to meet you! He's always talking about you! Are you Alice?"

Jiminie yanked his hands off mine, stepping forward to put distance between us. I couldn't see the top of his head any longer and it made me sad. As he turned away his nosy friend, I tilted my head to the side just so I could watch the other boy. He was embarrassed and explained that he was excited to actually meet me for the first time in years.

Telling him to piss off, Jiminie turned back around to punch in the passcode albeit angrily. I watched Min Jun apologise by pressing his hands together and retreated away – probably heading back to his own apartment. I turned back to look at Jiminie, his ears were red, and I knew that he was hiding his embarrassment from me.

Cute. "Did you tell your friends about me?" I asked teasingly.

"Why not?" he grumbled as he opened the door, hurriedly going in, tripping over his own two feet as he tried to take his shoes off quickly and making me keep up with him. His shoulders were hunched as he tried to make himself smaller. "Can't I tell them about you?"

Snickering, I took off my shoes and tagged along behind him as I admired the cozy apartment. I had never seen him this flustered before so I snagged his wrist, twisting him around so I could look at his face closely. Despite the height difference, I was able to get a good look before he squirmed out of my embrace – ducking into his bedroom before I could say more.

I didn't want to force him to answer.

Smiling, I sat down on the sofa – making myself comfortable and switched on the television. Taeyeon appeared from the kitchen a second after – surprised to see me sitting there and it looked like she had just gotten out of the bathroom.

"Alice!"

I got up to embrace her – relieved and eager to see the other after not seeing them for three years. She had coloured her hair a different shade and she looked livelier than she had been. We took a good long look at the other, both smiling broadly as we embraced each other again. I have missed her and her addictive smile.

"How are you?" I asked. "How's life treating you?"

"Oh, you know, same old," she said with a laugh. "I'm currently studying for my PhD."

"Wow, that's crazy." I do not understand those who wishes to study more but they have my admiration for doing so. It was not easy juggling between a mother, a doctor and a part-time student but I knew she was doing it all for her beloved son. I knew Jiminie gave her strength where she lacked and gave her the push that she needed.

"I heard from Jimin that you've moved here as well," she said with a knowing look in her eyes as she held me close to her. "But what are you doing now? Have you started work yet?"

"Oh yeah, I'm working," I replied. I ought to be twenty-three.

"As what?"

"She's a budding young CEO," came the sarcastic reply from behind us. Turning around, I see that Jiminie had appeared from his bedroom wearing nothing, but a pair of shorts and he had a towel thrown over his shoulder. The sheer nakedness of his torso surprised me, but I wasn't surprised to see the lean muscle.

He did do dance and kendo for many years now.

I tried to keep my eyes from staring for too long.

"Wow, that's amazing, Alice!"

I let out a laugh that covered my hesitation and embarrassment. Being a CEO at my supposed human age is not an easy feat and I wasn't about to tell them more information about it. It was luck that they didn't ask more. Taeyeon lets go so she could go to her bedroom, Jiminie brushed past us to head to the bathroom and I wandered back to the living room.

Thirty minutes or so later, they were both ready. Taeyeon had curled her hair and slapped on a layer of light make-up, wearing a light flowery dress that shows off her lithe legs. Jiminie opted for an outfit for his age group – a black turtleneck sweater and a pair of jeans over a cashmere coat. He had styled his hair and put on some light make-up. They both looked at me, and I whipped out my mobile to take a photo of them together.

"Hey!" they exclaimed at the same time. "I wasn't ready!" Taeyeon cried while Jiminie stormed forward to try and snatch my phone away from me. "Give it to me!"

Laughing, I raced out of the apartment and kept the phone in my pocket. With Jiminie hot on my tail, I ran towards the lift lobby, but he caught up to me easily and he made a motion to grab my phone out of my pocket, but I held him back with a hold on his wrist. Taeyeon joined us at the lift lobby as we waited for the elevator to come, ignoring his plea to let me go.

"Is Jaemin joining us later?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He's busy with his work."

"Oh? What's his job?" she asked curiously.

"He's an economics professor," I explained. "In the same university as Jiminie."

"Isn't he a little too young to be a professor?" she asked with a confused frown.

Ah, shit. I dug myself into a trap. "Well, he skipped a few grades overseas and completed his PhD rather quickly," I explained immediately. "He's a genius with an IQ of 148."

They seem to take my answer well and didn't ask more about it as we rode the elevator down to the first floor. Jiminie had abandoned his attempt in trying to take my mobile away as we walked towards my car. Telling them that there was a change of plans and that we'd be picking Jaemin up at the University, they buckled in at the back.

Switching on the radio station, I drove out of the neighbourhood via the navigation app and entered the highway that will lead us towards the university. It didn't take long to reach the campus due to the light traffic and he was already waiting for us as we cruised along the street. Stopping by the kerb, I unlocked the door and Jaemin got in, thanking me for picking him up.

Seeing the two humans behind, he greeted them and soon, began catching up. Half-listening to them talk, I followed the navigation app's directions towards the restaurant and within twenty minutes, we've reached the busy shopping district and as I navigated around the bustling streets, the sun was dipping down – bathing everything in its warm glow.

Seeing an empty slot, I pulled up and parked – pulling out my phone to pay for parking as I shut off the engine. Taking my car keys out, the rest of the passengers also got out of the car. Looking around, we were in the middle of a sloping street – lined with rows upon rows of cafes, restaurants and coffee houses.

It was a trendy place.

Locking up the car, we headed towards the restaurant where I had placed a reservation at. It was a famous restaurant with delectable menu and superb service. The one where Jiminie wanted to eat and the one where it was damn difficult to get a reservation at the last minute. Luckily for everyone, being me has its perks.

Not that they should know.

We were directed to a VIP booth – a private area where we had the whole room to ourselves. Jiminie had exquisite tastes. We sat around the circular table and waitresses began coming in, bringing in plates upon plates filled with steaming food. Both Taeyeon and Jiminie's eyes were wide with surprise as they stared at the food laid out before them.

As soon as the waitresses left, I picked up my chopsticks. "Eat," I said.

Despite the fact that we were separated for three years, nothing much has changed between us four and I was relieved. There were no awkwardness and we were like a normal family. It was a little family that I had, and I was proud of it. It was rare for an immortal like me to stay with mortals as it hurts to see them age while our time has stopped a long time ago.

As we sit there discussing about our years apart, I was hit with a sense of dread – it hit me like a concrete truck, and I couldn't shake the emotion from settling unnecessarily at the base of my stomach. It was terrifying and I knew I wasn't ready to let these two pure souls go. They were part of the reason why I was still living.

.

Later -

"Alice, here."

Approaching me, he handed a closed fist towards me and I grabbed his hand without thinking. Laughing at me, he took my hand, turned it around so my palm was facing upward. He opened his fist and a piece of button dropped on my palm. I stared at the button, wondering why he had given me a piece.

"What's with the button?" I asked.

"It's from my high school uniform," he explained. "You weren't there for my graduation, so I was saving it."

I felt weariness wash over my shoulders. "Is this your second button?" I asked softly.

"Yeah."

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked. "Don't … don't you have someone you like?"

"Yeah, and it's for you," he said firmly.

I stared at the button for a long time. I tried to assemble my thoughts and get my words out but it's all coming jumbled, so I tried again, taking a deep breath to calm my senses before they get overwhelmed. My dead heart was feeling strange and it was getting rather excruciating to breathe too. What is this sensation I wonder?

"Can I ask why?" I asked softly.

Bullshit, why are you asking this, Alice? You know that you can't do this to him. Even though all you wanted to do at that moment was to hug him, kiss him and make him yours. That's what you've been wanting to do for the past twenty years of his life. You wanted to make him yours.

Stop this Alice.

It's okay, I can wait. No, you should stop having hope. This is unfair for him. I've been waiting for twenty years. There's nothing wrong in waiting for a few more years. I have a lot of time right now. I can wait. This is a secret that I was willing to keep as long as I can.

He scoffed at my question. "I'm not telling you that," he said grumpily, averting his eyes. "You'll make fun of me."

"You know I won't," I said.

"No, I won't tell you," he said firmly.

"But Jiminie –"

"No buts, it's final."

"Okay."

.